Research illustrates salaries for analysts across the U.S.

The Digital Analytics Association (DAA), formerly known as the Web Analytics Association (WAA), released an infographic that provides a breakdown of digital analytics professionals' salaries across the United States. In the midst of a recession, the starting salary for a digital analyst across key geographic locations is $60,800.

The data for this infographic was drawn from actual job placements and was provided by IQWorkforce and was analyzed by the DAA's research committee, led by Brian Thopsey.

"I found this research to be incredibly valuable to my personal career and I hope other analysts will find the same success with this revealing report," said Thopsey. "The project, through the DAA, yielded great insights into the career tracks of digital analysts around the country and it will allow all analysts to determine if they're in the right place."

According to the research, Atlanta, Ga., is the best city for digital analysts to live and work in when comparing both salary and the cost of living. San Francisco, Calif., has the highest salaries on average, but the cost of living knocks it out of the top five best cities for digital analysts. The lowest salary area is Salt Lake City, and the high cost of living puts New York, N.Y., in last place for digital analysts to call home.

"We found this research to be quite revealing," said Peter Sanborn, president of the DAA. "Since New York and San Francisco are large hubs for digital analysts, we expected those cities to be the best places for them in terms of take-home earnings. However, we were surprised to find that Atlanta grabbed the number one spot. It will be interesting to see how this data changes in the years to come and see if there is a migration of analysts to the south."