Actuaries
Median $130,000
Occupation · SOC 15-2031
Operations Research Analysts: pay and where the jobs are
What operations research analysts earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$88,940 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $99,730
- Median hourly wage
- $42.76
- Mean hourly wage
- $47.95
- Employment
- 108,510
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 15-2031.
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How much do operations research analysts make?
The median annual wage for operations research analysts was $88,940 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $57,060 and the highest-paid 10% more than $159,910. As an hourly rate, the median is $42.76. About 108,510 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Colorado ($129,880), Virginia ($129,460) and Alabama ($115,630). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Alabama.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for operations research analysts looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $57,060 | $27.43 | $4,755 | $4,002 |
| 25th percentile | $68,360 | $32.86 | $5,697 | $4,743 |
| Median | $88,940 | $42.76 | $7,412 | $5,950 |
| 75th percentile | $125,990 | $60.57 | $10,499 | $8,115 |
| 90th percentile | $159,910 | $76.88 | $13,326 | $10,047 |
Operations Research Analysts: pay by state
48 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$96,219 take-home in national prices
2
$92,105 take-home in national prices
3
$91,664 take-home in national prices
Where a median operations research analyst paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 770 | $129,880 | $79,570 | $182,530 | $94,461 | $91,664 |
| Virginia | 6,980 | $129,460 | $71,820 | $194,260 | $93,122 | $92,105 |
| Alabama | 550 | $115,630 | $64,830 | $173,910 | $85,465 | $96,219 |
| New York | 5,890 | $108,610 | $62,780 | $175,800 | $79,426 | $73,597 |
| Ohio | 2,600 | $103,620 | $52,000 | $142,080 | $79,314 | $85,491 |
| Idaho | 500 | $103,600 | $60,640 | $138,510 | $77,330 | $80,979 |
| Oregon | 2,710 | $102,170 | $65,600 | $145,710 | $72,493 | $70,136 |
| California | 10,620 | $102,100 | $65,510 | $168,030 | $74,080 | $66,907 |
| Delaware | 660 | $101,070 | $62,510 | $132,780 | $74,199 | $74,342 |
| Hawaii | 120 | $100,600 | $68,450 | $156,210 | $73,370 | $66,730 |
| Maine | 220 | $99,460 | $66,520 | $141,050 | $73,213 | $75,438 |
| Nebraska | 330 | $98,300 | $60,550 | $149,760 | $74,391 | $82,562 |
| Washington | 3,050 | $98,030 | $68,580 | $155,790 | $76,434 | $71,425 |
| Maryland | 4,710 | $97,410 | $55,880 | $180,750 | $73,097 | $69,643 |
| North Carolina | 2,520 | $97,290 | $60,180 | $130,980 | $73,900 | $78,346 |
| Connecticut | 950 | $96,700 | $61,300 | $131,030 | $71,806 | $69,305 |
| Massachusetts | 4,200 | $96,500 | $71,550 | $146,000 | $71,669 | $67,767 |
| District of Columbia | 2,250 | $96,030 | $65,550 | $195,190 | $71,193 | $64,779 |
| Minnesota | 1,240 | $95,550 | $60,350 | $133,170 | $70,655 | $71,643 |
| Mississippi | 120 | $92,310 | $59,830 | $130,120 | $70,810 | $81,434 |
| Kansas | Not published | $92,050 | $58,570 | $137,820 | $69,250 | $76,887 |
| Texas | 11,890 | $90,710 | $57,840 | $164,570 | $72,644 | $74,847 |
| Utah | 810 | $90,200 | $57,990 | $130,910 | $68,302 | $69,087 |
| Illinois | 5,180 | $89,800 | $62,500 | $164,990 | $67,704 | $67,732 |
| Vermont | 170 | $89,790 | $65,100 | $123,740 | $68,575 | $70,005 |
| Alaska | 70 | $88,750 | $50,230 | $128,910 | $70,995 | $69,358 |
| Nevada | 370 | $86,500 | $65,210 | $139,920 | $69,683 | $69,697 |
| Indiana | 1,380 | $85,280 | $59,850 | $133,480 | $66,338 | $71,080 |
| Kentucky | 660 | $83,850 | $58,970 | $129,860 | $65,001 | $72,096 |
| Michigan | 980 | $83,480 | $61,650 | $139,880 | $64,261 | $66,788 |
| North Dakota | 130 | $82,460 | $57,930 | $119,400 | $66,492 | $74,744 |
| Iowa | 300 | $80,580 | $47,520 | $140,960 | $63,108 | $71,908 |
| Montana | 150 | $80,400 | $61,750 | $99,930 | $62,210 | $65,730 |
| New Mexico | 510 | $80,360 | $49,940 | $150,030 | $62,752 | $68,052 |
| South Carolina | 1,380 | $80,240 | $52,500 | $125,700 | $62,274 | $66,426 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,220 | $79,640 | $55,220 | $129,420 | $62,356 | $63,908 |
| Rhode Island | 360 | $77,910 | $61,110 | $183,030 | $60,478 | $59,130 |
| Florida | 9,120 | $77,600 | $46,340 | $131,490 | $63,422 | $61,328 |
| Tennessee | 1,200 | $76,680 | $46,150 | $125,480 | $62,774 | $68,330 |
| Georgia | 4,600 | $76,220 | $52,000 | $132,610 | $59,396 | $61,682 |
| Arizona | 2,600 | $75,470 | $58,430 | $124,230 | $60,430 | $60,024 |
| Wisconsin | 4,270 | $71,820 | $50,380 | $102,090 | $56,601 | $60,153 |
| West Virginia | 200 | $64,100 | $51,630 | $96,500 | $51,638 | $57,698 |
| Louisiana | 550 | $63,210 | $49,940 | $111,160 | $51,459 | $58,339 |
| Missouri | 1,190 | $62,380 | $49,180 | $116,980 | $50,308 | $55,395 |
| Oklahoma | 1,840 | $61,520 | $41,680 | $88,280 | $49,388 | $56,224 |
| Arkansas | 210 | $59,030 | $47,350 | $96,920 | $47,914 | $55,114 |
| Puerto Rico | 50 | $57,000 | $43,510 | $121,270 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 15-2031. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.