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Intelligence Analysts: Career Overview
Gather, analyze, or evaluate information from a variety of sources, such as law enforcement databases, surveillance, intelligence networks or geographic information systems. Use intelligence data to anticipate and prevent organized crime activities, such as terrorism.
What Tasks Do Intelligence Analysts Perform?
Typical responsibilities of intelligence analysts span:
- Validate known intelligence with data from other sources.
- Gather, analyze, correlate, or evaluate information from a variety of resources, such as law enforcement databases.
- Evaluate records of communications, such as telephone calls, to plot activity and determine the size and location of criminal groups and members.
- Gather intelligence information by field observation, confidential information sources, or public records.
- Analyze intelligence data to identify patterns and trends in criminal activity.
- Prepare comprehensive written reports, presentations, maps, or charts, based on research, collection, and analysis of intelligence data.
- Collaborate with representatives from other government and intelligence organizations to share information or coordinate intelligence activities.
- Link or chart suspects to criminal organizations or events to determine activities and interrelationships.
What Intelligence Analysts Need to Know
Effective intelligence analysts combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Intelligence Analysts Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- AI Consultant (Artificial Intelligence Consultant)
- All Source Analyst
- All Source Intelligence Analyst
- Analyst
- Anti-Terrorist Analyst
- Background Specialist
- CIA Agent (Central Intelligence Agency Agent)
- Competitive Intelligence Analyst
Job Outlook
There are about 280,428 intelligence analysts working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +11.7% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Intelligence Analysts
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $65,483 |
| Hourly median | $31.48 |
| 10th percentile | $45,268 |
| 25th percentile | $55,376 |
| 75th percentile | $75,591 |
| 90th percentile | $85,698 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Maryland | $125,630 |
| California | $122,140 |
| Alaska | $121,140 |
| Washington | $116,450 |
| New Jersey | $113,830 |
| Hawaii | $112,100 |
| Massachusetts | $111,460 |
| Virginia | $110,220 |
| Oregon | $107,450 |
| Vermont | $104,330 |
| New York | $103,340 |
| Arizona | $103,270 |
| Colorado | $102,910 |
| Nebraska | $99,090 |
| Pennsylvania | $98,740 |
| Montana | $95,640 |
| Nevada | $95,590 |
| Connecticut | $95,420 |
| Wisconsin | $92,910 |
| Michigan | $92,560 |
| West Virginia | $90,690 |
| New Hampshire | $90,050 |
| Texas | $89,860 |
| Illinois | $89,740 |
| Rhode Island | $88,780 |
| Delaware | $88,350 |
| New Mexico | $86,840 |
| North Dakota | $84,580 |
| Minnesota | $82,330 |
| Maine | $80,750 |
| Wyoming | $80,250 |
| Missouri | $78,670 |
| Florida | $78,290 |
| Ohio | $77,940 |
| Idaho | $77,460 |
| Kentucky | $77,440 |
| Oklahoma | $77,440 |
| Iowa | $77,440 |
| South Dakota | $77,440 |
| Indiana | $74,600 |
| Utah | $74,530 |
| Tennessee | $72,800 |
| Kansas | $68,180 |
| Puerto Rico | $66,840 |
| Alabama | $66,020 |
| Georgia | $64,990 |
| South Carolina | $63,060 |
| North Carolina | $62,480 |
| Louisiana | $59,500 |
| Mississippi | $56,310 |
| Arkansas | $53,460 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Earnings for intelligence analysts shift depending on where you work. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $119,744 | 14.0% | 0.86 |
| Middle Atlantic | $105,564 | 15.5% | 1.13 |
| New England | $97,494 | 3.4% | 0.79 |
| Rocky Mountains | $93,204 | 3.5% | 0.92 |
| Southwest | $91,672 | 24.5% | 1.97 |
| Great Lakes | $86,404 | 9.2% | 0.64 |
| Plains States | $79,153 | 5.2% | 0.82 |
| Southeast | $73,501 | 24.2% | 1.01 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | MD | $157,270 | 40 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $156,890 | 260 |
| Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | GA | $155,110 | 220 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $153,340 | 4,760 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | CA | $143,250 | 70 |
| Salinas, CA | CA | $129,880 | 40 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $129,370 | 40 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $127,980 | 3,070 |
Industry Breakdown
Most intelligence analysts work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing | 440 | $115,070 |
| Educational Services | 280 | $82,990 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 60 | $85,650 |
Intelligence Analysts work in the following industries:
Software Intelligence Analysts Use
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Hive (hot technology)
- Development environment software: Apache Kafka (hot technology)
- Business intelligence and data analysis software: Apache Spark (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Django (hot technology)
- Geographic information system: ESRI ArcGIS software (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: JavaScript (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Linux (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for intelligence analysts is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Telephone Conversations
- Spend Time Sitting
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level intelligence analysts positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Security Managers (Supplemental)
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Security Management Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Financial Risk Specialists (Supplemental)
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators and Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Information Security Analysts (Primary-Short)
- Penetration Testers (Supplemental)
- Information Security Engineers (Primary-Long)
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 33-3021.06 (Detectives and Criminal Investigators).
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