JobAfterNext

Operations Research Analysts

Formulate and apply mathematical modeling and other optimizing methods to develop and interpret information that assists management with decisionmaking, policy formulation, or other managerial functions. May collect and analyze data and develop decision support software, services, or products. May develop and supply optimal time, cost, or logistics networks for program evaluation, review, or implementation.

Wages

Median annual wage, U.S.$88,940
Employment, U.S.108,510
Median hourly wage$42.76
Annual wage percentiles, U.S., May 2025
10th25thMedian75th90th
$57,060$68,360$88,940$125,990$159,910
By state (49)
StateEmploymentMedian annualLocation quotient
Alabama550$115,6300.37
Alaska70$88,7500.30
Arizona2,600$75,4701.15
Arkansas210$59,0300.24
California10,620$102,1000.84
Colorado770$129,8800.39
Connecticut950$96,7000.80
Delaware660$101,0701.96
District of Columbia2,250$96,0304.59
Florida9,120$77,6001.32
Georgia4,600$76,2201.35
Hawaii120$100,6000.28
Idaho500$103,6000.84
Illinois5,180$89,8001.22
Indiana1,380$85,2800.62
Iowa300$80,5800.27
Kansas$92,050
Kentucky660$83,8500.47
Louisiana550$63,2100.41
Maine220$99,4600.49
Maryland4,710$97,4102.44
Massachusetts4,200$96,5001.66
Michigan980$83,4800.32
Minnesota1,240$95,5500.60
Mississippi120$92,3100.15
Missouri1,190$62,3800.58
Montana150$80,4000.42
Nebraska330$98,3000.46
Nevada370$86,5000.34
New Hampshire290Not available0.60
New Jersey3,280Not available1.10
New Mexico510$80,3600.84
New York5,890$108,6100.87
North Carolina2,520$97,2900.73
North Dakota130$82,4600.44
Ohio2,600$103,6200.67
Oklahoma1,840$61,5201.55
Oregon2,710$102,1701.97
Pennsylvania3,220$79,6400.76
Rhode Island360$77,9101.04
South Carolina1,380$80,2400.86
Tennessee1,200$76,6800.52
Texas11,890$90,7101.21
Utah810$90,2000.67
Vermont170$89,7900.78
Virginia6,980$129,4602.43
Washington3,050$98,0301.23
West Virginia200$64,1000.42
Wisconsin4,270$71,8202.08

Similar occupations

Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.

#OccupationJob ZoneSimilarity
1Statisticians50.962
2Logistics Engineers40.959
3Computer and Information Research Scientists50.952
4Mathematicians50.951
5Database Architects40.950
6Financial Quantitative Analysts50.950
7Biostatisticians50.948
8Data Warehousing Specialists40.947
9Industrial Ecologists50.945
10Business Intelligence Analysts40.945

One skill away

Among the 50 occupations most similar to Operations Research Analysts, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.

OccupationSkill to buildLevel gapSimilarity
Data Warehousing SpecialistsProgramming1.000.947
Remote Sensing Scientists and TechnologistsMonitoring0.760.935
Computer Hardware EngineersOperations Monitoring1.750.934
Logistics AnalystsMonitoring0.880.933
Geodetic SurveyorsMonitoring0.760.926
Environmental EconomistsManagement of Financial Resources1.870.925
Petroleum EngineersMonitoring0.760.924
Survey ResearchersCritical Thinking0.760.919
HydrologistsScience1.130.919
Industrial EngineersMonitoring1.130.917

All 11

Software to learn next

Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Operations Research Analysts, excluding software Operations Research Analysts already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.

SoftwareSimilar jobs using itLift
Oracle Java16 of 207.5x
Microsoft Visual Studio12 of 2012.0x
C#12 of 2010.1x
Git10 of 209.8x
Oracle Database12 of 206.4x
Amazon Web Services AWS software10 of 208.9x
NoSQL8 of 2012.3x
Microsoft Azure software9 of 208.7x
Apache Kafka7 of 2012.0x
JavaScript10 of 205.5x

Skills

From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.

SkillTypeImportanceLevel
MathematicsEssential skill 4.50 4.88
Complex Problem SolvingTransferable skill 4.12 4.50
Reading ComprehensionEssential skill 4.00 4.25
Critical ThinkingEssential skill 4.00 4.12
Active ListeningEssential skill 4.00 4.00
SpeakingEssential skill 4.00 4.00
WritingEssential skill 4.00 4.00
Judgment and Decision MakingTransferable skill 3.88 4.38
Systems EvaluationTransferable skill 3.88 4.25
Active LearningEssential skill 3.88 4.12
Systems AnalysisTransferable skill 3.88 3.88
Operations AnalysisTransferable skill 3.75 4.25
ScienceEssential skill 3.25 3.25
CoordinationTransferable skill 3.12 3.12
Time ManagementTransferable skill 3.12 3.00
InstructingTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Learning StrategiesEssential skill 3.00 3.00
MonitoringEssential skill 2.88 3.12
PersuasionTransferable skill 2.88 3.12
Social PerceptivenessTransferable skill 2.88 2.88
Service OrientationTransferable skill 2.75 2.88
ProgrammingTransferable skill 2.62 2.75
Management of Personnel ResourcesTransferable skill 2.62 2.62
NegotiationTransferable skill 2.12 2.38
Management of Financial ResourcesTransferable skill 1.88 1.38
Quality Control AnalysisTransferable skill 1.88 1.38
Management of Material ResourcesTransferable skill 1.88 1.25
Operations MonitoringTransferable skill 1.88 1.25
Technology DesignTransferable skill 1.75 1.12
TroubleshootingTransferable skill 1.25not rated
Operation and ControlTransferable skill 1.12not rated
Equipment MaintenanceTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Equipment SelectionTransferable skill 1.00not rated
InstallationTransferable skill 1.00not rated
RepairingTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
Knowledge
NameImportanceLevel
Mathematics 4.71 6.43
Computers and Electronics 4.10 5.33
Engineering and Technology 3.95 5.14
Production and Processing 3.71 4.48
English Language 3.57 4.05
Design 3.10 3.57
Education and Training 3.05 4.43
Administration and Management 2.81 3.81
Economics and Accounting 2.62 3.10
Customer and Personal Service 2.52 3.14
Personnel and Human Resources 2.29 2.81
Communications and Media 2.14 1.95
Law and Government 2.10 1.95
Transportation 2.05 2.05
Sales and Marketing 2.00 2.52
Public Safety and Security 2.00 1.67
Sociology and Anthropology 1.86 1.90
Physics 1.81 1.90
Psychology 1.76 1.62
Geography 1.71 2.33
Telecommunications 1.71 1.43
Mechanical 1.62 1.24
Administrative 1.55 1.55
Chemistry 1.38 0.90
Foreign Language 1.38 0.86
Food Production 1.33not rated
Building and Construction 1.29not rated
Biology 1.24not rated
History and Archeology 1.24not rated
Philosophy and Theology 1.24not rated
Therapy and Counseling 1.19not rated
Fine Arts 1.05not rated
Medicine and Dentistry 1.00not rated
Abilities
NameImportanceLevel
Mathematical Reasoning 4.50 4.75
Inductive Reasoning 4.12 4.62
Deductive Reasoning 4.12 4.50
Oral Comprehension 4.00 4.75
Written Comprehension 4.00 4.75
Oral Expression 4.00 4.50
Number Facility 4.00 4.38
Problem Sensitivity 4.00 4.12
Written Expression 4.00 4.00
Information Ordering 3.88 4.12
Near Vision 3.75 3.75
Fluency of Ideas 3.62 4.12
Category Flexibility 3.62 4.00
Originality 3.62 4.00
Speech Clarity 3.25 3.25
Flexibility of Closure 3.12 3.25
Speech Recognition 3.12 3.00
Selective Attention 3.00 3.00
Memorization 2.88 2.75
Far Vision 2.75 2.62
Perceptual Speed 2.75 2.50
Speed of Closure 2.50 2.50
Visualization 2.12 2.62
Time Sharing 2.00 2.00
Trunk Strength 1.75 1.12
Visual Color Discrimination 1.75 1.12
Auditory Attention 1.75 0.75
Hearing Sensitivity 1.62 0.75
Finger Dexterity 1.38 0.38
Wrist-Finger Speed 1.38 0.38
Depth Perception 1.25not rated
Arm-Hand Steadiness 1.00not rated
Control Precision 1.00not rated
Dynamic Flexibility 1.00not rated
Dynamic Strength 1.00not rated
Explosive Strength 1.00not rated
Extent Flexibility 1.00not rated
Glare Sensitivity 1.00not rated
Gross Body Coordination 1.00not rated
Gross Body Equilibrium 1.00not rated
Manual Dexterity 1.00not rated
Multilimb Coordination 1.00not rated
Night Vision 1.00not rated
Peripheral Vision 1.00not rated
Rate Control 1.00not rated
Reaction Time 1.00not rated
Response Orientation 1.00not rated
Sound Localization 1.00not rated
Spatial Orientation 1.00not rated
Speed of Limb Movement 1.00not rated
Stamina 1.00not rated
Static Strength 1.00not rated

Software used

Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.

All 114
  • Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA hot
  • Microsoft Word hot
  • MySQL hot
  • Oracle PeopleSoft hot
  • Perl hot
  • R hot
  • SAP software hot
  • SAS hot
  • Scala hot
  • Shell script hot
  • Splunk Enterprise hot
  • Swift hot
  • Teradata Database hot
  • The MathWorks MATLAB hot
  • UNIX hot
  • UNIX Shell hot
  • A mathematical programming language AMPL
  • Apache Pig
  • Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge
  • Business Forecast Systems Forecast Pro
  • Cisco IOS
  • Citrix cloud computing software
  • Claritas PRIZM NE
  • Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • Data entry software
  • Database software
  • ESRI ArcExplorer
  • Eko
  • FileMaker Pro
  • Fund accounting software
  • General algebraic modeling system GAMS
  • Geographic information system GIS software
  • Google Drive
  • Google Slides
  • Hewlett Packard HP-UX
  • Human resource management software HRMS
  • Hyperion Solutions Hyperion Intelligence
  • IBM Cognos Impromptu
  • IBM Domino
  • IBM Notes
  • IBM Power Systems software
  • ILOG OPL-CPLEX Development System
  • Imagine That Extend OR
  • Insightful S-PLUS
  • Job control language JCL
  • Jupyter Notebook
  • LINDO Systems LINGO
  • LexisNexis
  • MathWorks Simulink
  • Mathsoft Mathcad
  • McAfee
  • Mesquite Software CSIM
  • MicroStrategy
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • Microsoft Exchange
  • Microsoft MapPoint
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript
  • Minitab
  • Mixed integer optimizer MINTO
  • National Instruments LabVIEW
  • NetSuite ERP
  • Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
  • Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
  • Oracle Eloqua
  • Oracle Hyperion
  • Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
  • Oracle Solaris
  • Oracle Taleo
  • ProModel
  • Qlik Tech QlikView
  • Rockwell Automation Arena
  • SAP Business Objects
  • SAP Crystal Reports
  • SAP PowerBuilder
  • Stanford Business Software MINOS
  • Stanford Business Software SNOPT
  • StataCorp Stata
  • Strategic Reporting Systems ReportSmith
  • Sun Microsystems Java
  • Telelogic System Architect
  • Veritas NetBackup
  • Wireshark
  • Wolfram Research Mathematica
  • iGrafx

Where it concentrates

Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.

Metro areaEmploymentLocation quotientMedian annual
Lexington Park, MD3907.89$135,300
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA6006.59$84,500
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV8,0803.69$127,600
Oklahoma City, OK1,6703.53$53,730
Helena, MT1003.36$80,400
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN2403.35$86,910
Madison, WI8803.10$75,650
Tallahassee, FL4003.05$46,570
Green Bay, WI3402.75$67,340
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL2402.74$115,920

More metros, other thresholds