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Data Analyst Resume Keywords

The skills 31,011 Data Analyst job postings ask for, next to what 7,525 candidates' resumes actually list. The difference is where most resumes lose the match.

Updated September 2026 · From 31,011 job postings and 7,525 resumes

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Data Analyst

job postings analyzed
31,011
Each counted once
candidate resumes
7,525
One per candidate, the latest
most requested skill
SQL
In 71% of jobs
biggest gap
Finance
26% of jobs, 11% of resumes

What the numbers say

SQL is asked for in 71% of Data Analyst jobs, and most resumes already have it (64%). The gaps are elsewhere. Tableau is in 40% of jobs and on only 26% of resumes, and job postings that ask for querying data (32%) are matched by 19% of resumes. If you query data every day, the word "query" belongs on the page as well as "SQL".

Finance is the surprise: 26% of jobs ask for it and 11% of resumes mention it, because many analyst roles sit in finance teams. If you have analyzed budgets, revenue or cost, say finance. Degrees show the same pattern: mathematics is in 17% of jobs and on only 4% of resumes.

The work is moving to dashboards. Dashboarding rose from 46% to 61% of jobs in a year, and Power BI from 37% to 46%. Seniority changes the ask: senior jobs want SQL (88%), data modeling (31%, against 13% at entry level) and data quality (31% against 17%), while Excel falls from 55% of entry-level jobs to 28% of senior ones. Python is on 49% of resumes and in 48% of jobs, so it is expected, not a differentiator.

All keywords

Data Analyst keywords, ranked by how many jobs ask for them

Each row shows two numbers: the share of Data Analyst job postings that ask for the skill, and the share of candidates' resumes that had it when scanned against those job postings.

Data Analyst: skills in job postings vs on resumes

The share of 31,011 Data Analyst job postings that ask for each skill, next to the share of 7,525 candidates' resumes that list it. The gap is the difference in percentage points.

Share of job postings asking for it Share of resumes that had it
Skill Asked for in jobsListed on resumes Gappts
1

SQL

Core

1.4× per job that asks
71%
64%
 +7 pts
2

Business Intelligence

Core

1.8× per job that asks
54%
46%
 +8 pts
3

Dashboarding

Core

1.6× per job that asks
52%
44%
 +8 pts
4

Python

Core

1.3× per job that asks
48%
49%
 -1 pts
5

Microsoft Excel

Core

1.6× per job that asks
44%
42%
 +2 pts
6

Power BI

Core

1.6× per job that asks
41%
38%
 +3 pts
7

Tableau

Common

1.4× per job that asks
40%
26%
 +14 pts
8

Data Visualization

Common

1.3× per job that asks
33%
25%
 +7 pts
9

Querying

Common

1.4× per job that asks
32%
19%
 +13 pts
10

Database

Common

1.5× per job that asks
31%
19%
 +12 pts
11

Data-Driven

Common

1.3× per job that asks
26%
21%
 +5 pts
12

Finance

Common

1.9× per job that asks
26%
11%
 +15 pts
13

Data Quality

Common

1.5× per job that asks
22%
9%
 +12 pts
14

Data Science

Common

1.3× per job that asks
20%
12%
 +8 pts
15

Data Modeling

Common

1.5× per job that asks
19%
8%
 +11 pts
Show all 50 keywords
16

KPIs

Common

1.5× per job that asks
18%
11%
 +7 pts
17

Testing

Common

1.4× per job that asks
18%
8%
 +10 pts
18

Mathematics

Common

1.1× per job that asks
17%
4%
 +13 pts
19

Programming

Common

1.1× per job that asks
15%
11%
 +4 pts
20

Automation

Common

1.4× per job that asks
15%
7%
 +8 pts
21

Governance

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
14%
5%
 +9 pts
22

Marketing

Specialist

1.7× per job that asks
13%
6%
 +8 pts
23

Quantitative Analysis

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
13%
4%
 +9 pts
24

ETL

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
12%
7%
 +6 pts
25

Data Accuracy

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
12%
6%
 +6 pts
26

Data Management

Specialist

1.4× per job that asks
11%
4%
 +7 pts
27

Coding

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
11%
4%
 +7 pts
28

Statistical Analysis

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
11%
7%
 +4 pts
29

Optimization

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
11%
5%
 +6 pts
30

Looker

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
10%
3%
 +8 pts
31

Data Integrity

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
10%
4%
 +7 pts
32

Forecasting

Specialist

1.4× per job that asks
10%
4%
 +6 pts
33

SQL Queries

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
10%
5%
 +5 pts
34

Artificial Intelligence

Specialist

2.3× per job that asks
10%
5%
 +4 pts
35

Machine Learning

Specialist

1.4× per job that asks
10%
9%
 +1 pts
36

Data Governance

Specialist

1.4× per job that asks
10%
3%
 +6 pts
37

Data Collection

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
10%
4%
 +5 pts
38

Snowflake

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
9%
2%
 +7 pts
39

Business Requirements

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
9%
4%
 +5 pts
40

Data Pipeline

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
9%
3%
 +5 pts
41

Healthcare

Specialist

1.9× per job that asks
9%
2%
 +6 pts
42

Microsoft Office

Specialist

1.4× per job that asks
8%
3%
 +5 pts
43

Data Warehouse

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
8%
2%
 +6 pts
44

Programming Languages

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
8%
4%
 +4 pts
45

Project Management

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
8%
3%
 +5 pts
46

Mining

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
8%
3%
 +5 pts
47

Microsoft Azure

Specialist

1.6× per job that asks
8%
3%
 +5 pts
48

Information Systems

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
7%
1%
 +6 pts
49

Pivot

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
7%
4%
 +3 pts
50

Microsoft PowerPoint

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
7%
2%
 +5 pts

Source: skillsyncer.com/resume-keywords/data-analyst · CC BY 4.0

Which of these keywords does your resume already have?

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The gap

The keywords resumes miss most

Asked for far more often than candidates list them. If you have these skills, these are the words most likely to be costing you the match.

Finance

+15 pts
26%
11%

26% of jobs ask for it, but only 11% of resumes list it.

Tableau

+14 pts
40%
26%

40% of jobs ask for it, but only 26% of resumes list it.

Querying

+13 pts
32%
19%

32% of jobs ask for it, but only 19% of resumes list it.

Mathematics

+13 pts
17%
4%

17% of jobs ask for it, but only 4% of resumes list it.

Data Quality

+12 pts
22%
9%

22% of jobs ask for it, but only 9% of resumes list it.

Database

+12 pts
31%
19%

31% of jobs ask for it, but only 19% of resumes list it.

Find out if your resume is missing these for the job you want.

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Trends

Which skills are rising and falling

Share of job postings asking for each skill in the last 12 months against the 12 before. Dashboarding and Artificial Intelligence are climbing; Data Visualization and Programming are fading.

Data Analyst: skills rising and falling

The share of Data Analyst job postings asking for each skill in the previous 12 months (hollow dot) and the last 12 months (solid dot). Only skills that moved at least 3 points are shown.

Previous 12 months Last 12 months
0%35%70%
  1. Dashboarding +15 pts
  2. Artificial Intelligence +11 pts
  3. Business Intelligence +9 pts
  4. Power BI +8 pts
  5. Data Quality +8 pts
  6. Governance +8 pts
  7. KPIs +6 pts
  8. Querying +6 pts
  9. Data Visualization -5 pts
  10. Programming -5 pts
Show all 20 skills
  1. Automation +5 pts
  2. Data Modeling +5 pts
  3. Finance +5 pts
  4. Data Accuracy +5 pts
  5. Data Governance +4 pts
  6. Optimization +4 pts
  7. Looker +3 pts
  8. Forecasting +3 pts
  9. Data Pipeline +3 pts
  10. Programming Languages -3 pts

Source: skillsyncer.com/resume-keywords/data-analyst · CC BY 4.0

By seniority

What changes from entry level to senior

Share of job postings asking for each skill, split by the level in the job title. Darker means more job postings at that level ask for it.

Data Analyst: skills by seniority

The share of Data Analyst job postings asking for each skill at each level, with the level read from the job title. Darker cells mean more job postings at that level ask for it.

Skill Entry level 2,366 jobs Mid level 26,043 jobs Senior 2,602 jobs
SQL 67% 70% 88%
Business Intelligence 49% 53% 61%
Dashboarding 47% 52% 63%
Python 52% 47% 58%
Microsoft Excel 55% 44% 28%
Power BI 41% 41% 37%
Tableau 38% 39% 48%
Data Visualization 36% 32% 33%
Querying 27% 31% 38%
Database 29% 32% 27%
Data-Driven 27% 25% 33%
Finance 18% 26% 35%

Source: skillsyncer.com/resume-keywords/data-analyst · CC BY 4.0

See how your resume matches a job at your level.

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Copy list

Every keyword, grouped by how expected it is

Use the exact wording, and only for skills you can talk about in an interview.

Core 6

In 40% or more of job postings. Expected on almost every resume for this role.

  • SQL
  • Business Intelligence
  • Dashboarding
  • Python
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Power BI
Common 14

In 15 to 40% of job postings. Worth listing whenever you have them.

  • Tableau
  • Data Visualization
  • Querying
  • Database
  • Data-Driven
  • Finance
  • Data Quality
  • Data Science
  • Data Modeling
  • KPIs
  • Testing
  • Mathematics
  • Programming
  • Automation
Specialist 30

Under 15%. They set you apart for the jobs that ask.

  • Governance
  • Marketing
  • Quantitative Analysis
  • ETL
  • Data Accuracy
  • Data Management
  • Coding
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Optimization
  • Looker
  • Data Integrity
  • Forecasting
  • SQL Queries
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Data Governance
  • Data Collection
  • Snowflake
  • Business Requirements
  • Data Pipeline
  • Healthcare
  • Microsoft Office
  • Data Warehouse
  • Programming Languages
  • Project Management
  • Mining
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Information Systems
  • Pivot
  • Microsoft PowerPoint

In context

Bullets that use these keywords

A keyword counts for more inside a bullet that shows what you did with it than in a list at the bottom.

  • Wrote SQL checks on 40 core tables that flag data quality issues before the morning refresh, cutting report corrections from weekly to twice a quarter.

    SQL Data Quality

  • Rebuilt regional sales dashboarding in Power BI for 35 managers, replacing eight emailed Excel files.

    Dashboarding Power BI

  • Built Tableau views for the finance team tracking budget against actuals by cost center, used in every monthly close.

    Tableau Finance

  • Owned the data modeling behind 12 company KPIs so marketing and sales report one number for pipeline.

    Data Modeling KPIs

Get bullets like these written from your own experience.

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Resume examples

Data Analyst resumes built from this data

Entry level, mid level and senior example resumes using these keywords, each measured against the Data Analyst job postings at its level, with notes on why each section is written the way it is.

See the resume examples

Related roles

Roles whose jobs ask for similar skills

Measured by overlap in the skills their job postings request, not by job category.

Data Scientist resume keywords

From 8,584 job postings

  • Python 82%
  • Machine Learning 69%
  • SQL 64%

Business Analyst resume keywords

From 12,695 job postings

  • Testing 40%
  • Microsoft Excel 38%
  • Business Requirements 36%

Software Engineer resume keywords

From 31,939 job postings

  • Coding 61%
  • Testing 53%
  • Java 49%

Project Manager resume keywords

From 7,516 job postings

  • Budgeting 55%
  • Project Planning 39%
  • Finance 32%

Method

How these numbers were counted

  1. 35,004 scans
  2. 50 keywords
  3. 7,525 resumes
  4. 31,011 job postings

Every figure on this page comes from resumes people scanned against Data Analyst job postings between September 2024 and September 2026: 31,011 distinct job postings and the resumes of 7,525 candidates.

A job posting counts once, however many people scanned it. Each candidate counts once too, with the most recent resume they scanned for this role, so someone who applied to fifty jobs does not outweigh fifty people who applied to one.

Nothing here identifies anyone. These are counts across many people. No resume or job description text, names, contact details or employers are published, and a job title only appears once at least 10 different people have scanned it. See our privacy policy.

Job titles are grouped: "Senior Data Analyst", "Data Analyst II" and "Data Analyst (Remote)" all count here. Keywords are matched against a library of known skills, with different spellings of one skill counted together, so "MS Excel" and "Excel" are one keyword.

Download this data as a CSV. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0, with a link back to this page.

Refreshed every quarter from new scans. Last updated September 2026; next update December 2026.

Common questions

What keywords should I put on a Data Analyst resume?

Start with the core skills, the ones at least 40% of Data Analyst job postings ask for: SQL, Business Intelligence, Dashboarding, Python, Microsoft Excel and Power BI. Use them in the job posting's exact wording, and only for skills you actually have.

Which Data Analyst skills do resumes most often leave out?

Finance, Tableau and Querying. Finance appears in 26% of job postings but only 11% of resumes.

Which Data Analyst skills are employers asking for more?

Over the last 12 months, Dashboarding, Artificial Intelligence and Business Intelligence grew the most in share of Data Analyst job postings.

Is my resume published here?

No. Your resume is only ever counted, never shown. This page reports percentages across at least 10 different people per job title, and no resume or job description text, names, contact details or employers appear anywhere in it.

How often is this data updated?

Every quarter, from new scans. This page was last updated in September 2026 and the next update is due in December 2026.

Is this the same as ATS keywords?

Close. An applicant tracking system searches your resume for the skills in the job posting, so the skills job postings ask for most often are the ones an ATS is most often looking for. The only way to know for one job is to check your resume against that job posting.

Which of these is your resume missing?

Scan your resume against a real Data Analyst job.

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