Do you love data and storytelling? Explore five exciting data visualization jobs and learn how you can transition into one.
![[Featured Image]: A male, wearing a yellow jacket, is sitting at his desk, working on his desktop and laptop, performing his duties in his data visualization job.](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/2FoSQcwlAT2E4QfxpRuYAL/a46cb98e2cc47753defcff1fc2dfd9e5/iStock-973715860.jpg?w=1500&h=680&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive&auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=1000)
Data visualization job titles include data visualization engineer, data scientist, and data analyst.
Forecasts for the global data visualization market expect a compound annual growth rate of 10.95 percent from 2025 to 2030 [1].
You can transition into one of these roles through self study, online certification programs, or earning a degree.
As big data and technology industries continue to grow, customized reports and dashboards will be increasingly important. In this article, you'll learn more about common data visualization jobs, including what they are and how to build your data visualization skills. Afterward, if you're ready to start sharpening this skill with an industry leader, consider enrolling to earn Microsoft's Data Visualization Professional Certificate.
Data visualization professionals incorporate the skill in their work to present data to non-technical audiences and tell stories about that help organizations make data-driven decisions. Data visualization can be the sole focus of a job role, such as a data visualization engineer. But more often than not, it's a skill used in data-oriented roles to portray data and information in creative ways, such as dashboards that show weekly trend reports or bar graphs for investor pitch decks. Here are 5 data visualization jobs to know so you can begin building your skills today.
Data visualization engineers are responsible for the design and development of data visualizations and dashboards using data sets from various sources. They are experts in data and storytelling and whizzes at business intelligence (BI) tools to create user-friendly dashboards for business teams. Data visualization engineers may also write and test analytics platform code, toggle with software tools like Tableau or Looker to produce dashboards, and fix bugs whenever necessary.
Annual average salary: $129,716 [2]
As a data analyst, you’ll be in charge of collecting, cleaning, and interpreting data sets to answer a question or solve a problem within an organization. Data analysts can be found across industries as varied as finance, science, government, and criminal justice. Questions that data analysts might answer include: What segment of customers should be targeted in this advertising campaign? Which age group is most vulnerable to COVID-19? Data visualization skills will enable you to present this information to the team with graphs and charts.
Annual average salary: $82,640 [3]
Get started in data analytics from Google
With Google’s Data Analytics professional certificate, you can receive a solid foundation in data analysis and visualization, plus introductory AI training.
Data scientists look for trends and patterns in data to help organizations make informed decisions about their operations, marketing, and more. They create algorithms and data models to forecast outcomes, sometimes adopting machine learning techniques to improve products or tools.
Once data scientists are comfortable with their outcomes, they’ll present their findings and recommendations to stakeholder teams, employing data visualizations to help make a compelling case. This job has a growth rate of 34 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations in the country (4 percent) [4].
Annual median salary: $112,590 [4]
Business intelligence analysts analyze and interpret data specific to businesses, such as sales revenue, market trends, and customer engagement metrics. BI analysts are always looking for potential improvements that can be made to drive business profitability and relevance in the market. They’ll share their findings with the team, crafting reports to present to other teams or clients on how to grow the business.
Annual median salary: $99,864 [5]
Analytics managers are in charge of translating data into actionable insights for an organization. They typically lead a team of data analysts, coaching them to complete data analytics projects with accuracy and efficiency. Together, they’ll develop strategies, track their performance, and oversee analytics operations. Those analyses will be transformed into reports and communicated to stakeholders.
Annual median salary: $125,326 [6]
Read more: Data Visualization Salary Guide 2026
For each of these jobs, a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, statistics, business administration, or graphic design is highly recommended. In most cases, earning a master’s degree can boost your ability to land better, higher-paying job opportunities.
As organizations generate massive amounts of data, they need professionals who can transform complex information into clear, actionable insights through compelling visual designs. Building your data visualization skills requires a combination of passion for numbers, as well as a desire to transform the right data into stunning visualizations. These positions typically combine analytical thinking, design sensibility, and business acumen to help organizations understand their data and make better decisions. Here's how to break into the field:
Build a portfolio. Create sample dashboards and visualizations using public datasets
Learn key tools. Master Tableau, Power BI, or Python/R visualization libraries
Develop design skills. Understand color, layout, and chart selection principles
Target relevant roles. Look for positions like Data Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst, or Data Visualization Specialist
Show impact. Demonstrate how your visualizations led to insights or decisions
Network. Join data communities, attend meetups, and connect with professionals on LinkedIn
Start with free tools and online courses, then build projects that showcase both technical skills and business understanding.
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Mordor Intelligence. “Data Visualization Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022-2027), https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/data-visualization-applications-market-future-of-decision-making-industry.” Accessed November 24, 2025.
Zip Recruiter. "How much does a data visualization engineer make? https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Data-Visualization-Engineer-Salary." Accessed November 24, 2025.
Zip Recruiter. "How much does a data analyst make? https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Data-Analyst-Salary." Accessed November 24, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Data Scientists. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/math/data-scientists.htm.” Accessed November 24, 2025.
Zip Recruiter. "How much does a Business Intelligence Analyst make? https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Business-Intelligence-Analyst-Salary." Accessed November 24, 2025.
Zip Recruiter. "How much does an analytics manager make? https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Analytics-Manager-Salary." Accessed November 24, 2025.
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