Average Salaries ($K)
Atlanta 2020-2024
Data Salary review
Atlanta
2020 - 2024
- 29% Average Cost Of Living Rise
- #16/23 Cheapest City To Live
- 31% Average Salary Rise
- #17/23 Salary Growth - All Roles
- #16/23 Salary Growth For Heads Of Data
- #23/23 Salary Growth For Data Engineers
- #14/23 Salary Growth For Data Analysts
- #6/23 Salary Growth For Data Scientists
Overview
Atlanta has quickly risen as a prominent tech hub in America, blending affordability, a skilled talent pool, and a diverse economy. It hosts a thriving ecosystem for data-driven careers, supported by established companies, startups, and a growing investment in tech infrastructure. The city is especially attractive due to its lower cost of living compared to tech hubs like San Francisco and New York, making it a prime destination for tech professionals.
The city’s major employers span industries such as retail (The Home Depot), beverages (Coca-Cola), aviation (Delta Air Lines), and logistics (UPS). Atlanta is also a fintech leader, often called “Transaction Alley,” with firms like Global Payments, NCR Corporation, and Fiserv spearheading innovations in payments and financial analytics. Healthcare and public health are robust sectors too, with Emory Healthcare and the CDC leveraging data for groundbreaking research and policy-making. The startup scene is vibrant, with companies like Calendly and SalesLoft excelling in analytics-driven services.
Atlanta’s data landscape is increasingly mature, with significant adoption of advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI across sectors. Companies use these tools to enhance logistics, personalise customer experiences, and drive efficiency. While it may not yet rival the scale of Silicon Valley or New York, Atlanta is competitive with cities like Austin and Seattle, particularly in industries like fintech and logistics, where its geographic and economic advantages shine. Its diverse economy makes it a strong contender as a top-tier tech hub in the years to come.
Heads Of Data
Atlanta’s data leadership roles are largely influenced by the presence of several large international companies that are based in the city. For those looking to advance into top leadership positions, these major employers are the best opportunities and also offer the highest-paying roles locally. However, these companies tend to prioritise internal promotions, making it more challenging for outsiders to break into senior roles, especially with giants like Coca-Cola.
At larger companies, progression is often slower and so we have seen that as Atlanta has quietly emerged as a growing hub for startups. (Particularly in sectors like healthcare, logistics, and financial services) Many professionals are taking a leap of faith and their first steps into leadership are with these companies. This enables them to gain valuable experience, especially in leadership and people management and we have often seen people then re-join their bluechip employer in more senior roles.
Despite a brief dip in 2022 during the pandemic, wages in Atlanta’s data sector have remained steady and are gradually increasing. Compensation is competitive with other major tech hubs in the U.S., making the city an appealing choice for data professionals seeking both stability and opportunities for growth. Atlanta ranked #16/23 for wage growth in our review, with an average 20.20% rise across all experience level.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Data Engineers
Our data shows a huge volatility for Data Engineer salaries over the last five depending on experience. Atlanta follows the trend we see across the United States in 2021 in that we see a rise in salaries at expert level during the pandemic (+7.14%) and at the same time we see a dip at beginner (-15%) and intermediate levels (-9.09%) we see a very quick recovery in 2022, with all levels seeing a wage increases, most noticeably at beginner level. (+50%)
The dramatic drop in data engineer salaries in Atlanta in 2023 could be attributed to a market correction. As we have noted, there are a few large employers in Atlanta and if demand was high in 2022, its quite likely they will not have needed to hire in the next year. Additionally, widespread layoffs in the tech sector created an oversupply of skilled professionals, giving employers more negotiating power. Unlike larger tech hubs like Silicon Valley or New York, where companies often prioritise retaining top-tier tech talent despite economic challenges, Atlanta’s tech ecosystem is still maturing, making salaries more vulnerable to market fluctuations.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Data Analysts
For data analysts, Atlanta presents a strong job market but comes with its own set of challenges. Opportunities are abundant across industries such as logistics, retail, fintech, and healthcare, with companies like The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, and UPS frequently hiring for roles focused on operational and business intelligence. However, the work for data analysts in Atlanta can sometimes lean heavily toward traditional reporting and dashboarding, with fewer opportunities to engage in more advanced analytics or strategy compared to data analyst roles in tech-heavy markets like Seattle or Austin. Additionally, salaries for data analysts in Atlanta, while competitive for the region, may lag behind those in larger tech hubs.
This being said the overall picture is positive. Expert-level analysts have seen a 40%, Intermediate’s seeing a 33% rise, but with beginner-level analysts lagging a little behind with 19.5% rise.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Data Scientists
Atlanta offers a growing but still developing market for data scientists, with opportunities expanding in sectors such as logistics, fintech, and healthcare. However, the city’s data ecosystem is not as mature as traditional tech hubs like Silicon Valley or New York, which limits both the depth of the talent pool and the diversity of roles available. While large employers like Coca-Cola and Home Depot provide significant opportunities, the competition for top-tier roles can be intense, especially as these companies require specialised expertise or extensive experience. In contrast to more saturated markets, Atlanta has fewer big employers, creating a gap between large organisations and smaller companies, which can lead to slower career progression for professionals outside of those leading firms.
In terms of compensation, data scientist roles in Atlanta have experienced stagnation in recent years, reflecting broader trends across the world, wage growth has been relatively flat for the past five years, and while Atlanta ranked #6/23 for wage growth last year, the demand for data scientists is stabilising rather than growing exponentially. This shift could indicate that the role is no longer as ‘hot’ as it once was, with fewer opportunities for rapid salary increases.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Hiring Data Roles For Atlanta Companies
Atlanta offers employers access to a growing and competitive data workforce, supported by top universities such as Georgia Tech. While the city’s data talent pool is expanding, it still lags behind tech hubs like Silicon Valley or New York in terms of size and diversity. The market is highly competitive, with large enterprises and emerging tech firms competing for the same pool of professionals. As demand continues to rise, wages have accelerated, particularly for roles in AI, machine learning, and cloud computing. Given the competition for talent, it’s important to implement strong retention strategies and targeted recruitment efforts to fill these high-demand roles.
Despite the increasing availability of data professionals, Atlanta’s talent pool for niche roles is still relatively small, making it difficult to hire experienced specialists. Employers facing challenges in recruiting for these hard-to-fill positions may consider partnering with a data agency like 173tech. Agencies are particularly beneficial when looking for senior-level expertise or when scaling quickly for short-term projects, such as cloud migrations, large-scale data engineering projects, or data model development.
173tech Direct Comparison
- Head Of Data (5+ yrs) $295k
- Data Engineer (5+ yrs) $130k
- Data Engineer (0-3 yrs) $75k
- Data Analyst (3-5 yrs) $80k
- $580k per yr + Tax + Pension + Holidays
- Candice (15+ yrs) Ruben (8+ yrs) Oliver (10+ yrs)
- Adrian (15+ yrs)
- Oscar (2+ yrs)
- Emeric (3+ yrs) Mai (4+ yrs) Noel (2+ yrs) Amy (2+ yrs)
- $240k
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