SalaryExplorer

SOC 15-2031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Operations Research Analysts — Fresno

Fresno, CA · 10 metro areas compared

$101,780 /year
$48.93per hour
130jobs in area
+14.4%vs US median

The median wage for Operations Research Analysts in Fresno, CA is $101,780 per year, 14.4% above the national median of $88,940.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $88,94010TH$64,74025TH$81,850MEDIAN$101,78075TH$124,29090TH$135,070

How pay has moved

$107,870$71,330201920202022202320242025$101,780
$77,990 in 2019 to $101,780 in 2025, +30.5% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow much faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+21.5%
Openings per year
9,600
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Fresno, CA.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Operations Research Analysts in Fresno, CA is $101,780 per year, 14.4% above the national median of $88,940. Pay ranges from under $64,740 at the tenth percentile to more than $135,070 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $81,850 to $124,290.

The area has 130 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.3 of every thousand jobs. San Jose leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $123,360. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 95th of 527 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Fresno, CA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$64,740−27.2%
25th$81,850−8.0%
Median (50th)$101,780+14.4%
75th$124,290+39.7%
90th$135,070+51.9%
Mean$104,330+17.3%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in California

Median annual wage for Operations Research Analysts, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1San Jose$123,360920
2Bakersfield$119,02080
3San Francisco$110,5602,050
4Santa Maria$105,57060
5Santa Cruz$104,68050
6Oxnard$104,640220
7Sacramento$104,210510
8San Diego$99,2301,280
9Los Angeles$98,2703,480
10Santa Rosa$97,45050

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Fresno run 2.2% above the national average, so the median of $101,780 buys what $99,589 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 12.0% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$101,780as reported by BLS

Local price level

102.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$99,589US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $101,780 a year, 14.4% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $64,740 to $135,070 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 130 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is San Jose, at $123,360.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Operations Research Analysts in Fresno, CA?

The median annual wage is $101,780, or $48.93 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $88,940, so pay in Fresno, CA is 14.4% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Fresno, CA earns more than $135,070 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $64,740 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in San Jose, at $123,360 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 130 jobs in this occupation in Fresno, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.