Skip to content
TryHired.
Role hub · Intelligence Analysts

Intelligence Analyst: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

BLS does not publish pay for intelligence analysts separately. Every pay figure on this page is for the BLS occupation “Detectives and Criminal Investigators” (SOC 33-3021), which includes intelligence analysts and other jobs; it is not a figure for intelligence analysts alone.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of workers in the BLS occupation “Detectives and Criminal Investigators” earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$93,790
Hourly
$45.09
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Intelligence Analysts gather, analyze, or evaluate information from a variety of sources, such as law enforcement databases, surveillance, intelligence networks or geographic information systems. The median pay is $93,790 a year ($45.09 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (65% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$93,790
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
114,430
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
65% of workers
Key facts

Intelligence Analysts at a glance

  • Workers in the BLS occupation “Detectives and Criminal Investigators” (which includes intelligence analysts) in the United States earned a median annual wage of $93,790 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for intelligence analysts in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of intelligence analysts in the United States to grow 0.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,800 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 114,430 people were employed as intelligence analysts in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Intelligence Analysts

SalaryDetectives and Criminal Investigators salary

BLS pay data for this occupation, by state and percentile.

Open →How to becomeIntelligence Analyst how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →Career changeIntelligence Analyst career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What intelligence analysts do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Validate known intelligence with data from other sources.
  2. Gather, analyze, correlate, or evaluate information from a variety of resources, such as law enforcement databases.
  3. Evaluate records of communications, such as telephone calls, to plot activity and determine the size and location of criminal groups and members.
  4. Gather intelligence information by field observation, confidential information sources, or public records.
  5. Analyze intelligence data to identify patterns and trends in criminal activity.
  6. Prepare comprehensive written reports, presentations, maps, or charts, based on research, collection, and analysis of intelligence data.
  7. Collaborate with representatives from other government and intelligence organizations to share information or coordinate intelligence activities.
  8. Link or chart suspects to criminal organizations or events to determine activities and interrelationships.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all intelligence analyst jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix). Figures cover all detectives and criminal investigators (SOC 33-3021), the broader occupation.

  1. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals99.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +0.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $99,400
  2. Educational services; state, local, and private0.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $80,070
  3. Postal service0.3% of all jobs in this occupation · -0.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $121,530
  4. Hospitals; state, local, and private0.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $87,850

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreWritingcoreSpeakingCritical ThinkingComplex Problem SolvingActive LearningMonitoringCoordination

Knowledge areas: English Language, Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, Administrative, Computers and Electronics, Communications and Media.

Tools and technology

Software intelligence analysts use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Apache HadoopData base management system softwareHot technology
  • Apache HiveData base management system softwareHot technology
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareGeographic information systemHot technology
  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft VisioGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • SASAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Splunk EnterpriseCloud-based management softwareHot technology
  • TensorFlowAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Teradata DatabaseData base management system softwareHot technology
  • Amazon Simple Storage Service S3Storage networking software
  • Apache PigData base management system software
  • Chatbot softwareIndustrial control software

Also called: Anti-Terrorist Analyst, Crime Analyst (Criminal Analyst), Crime and Intelligence Analyst (Criminal and Intelligence Analyst), Crime Intelligence Analyst (Criminal Intelligence Analyst), Crime Research Specialist (Criminal Research Specialist), Intel Analyst (Intelligence Analyst).

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.