You're responsible for gathering, recording, and verifying the raw data that powers analysis and decision-making. Whether it's conducting surveys, capturing field measurements, digitizing records, or harvesting data from systems, you ensure that the information organizations depend on is accurate, complete, and properly formatted.
Your day is typically structured around data acquisition tasks. You might spend the morning conducting interviews or surveys in the field, then return to enter and verify data in a database or spreadsheet. Or you might be screen-scraping, using collection tools, or pulling records from multiple systems and standardizing them. The work demands consistency and attention to detail — one mistyped entry can cascade through downstream analyses.
Quality control is woven into everything you do. You're often cross-referencing sources, checking for duplicates, and flagging inconsistencies before passing data along to analysts or researchers. You may follow established protocols precisely, especially in research or regulatory contexts where data integrity is critical. Communication with the teams who use your data helps you understand what matters most and how to prioritize.
People who tend to thrive here are meticulous, patient individuals who take pride in accuracy. If you find satisfaction in doing careful work that other people depend on, and you can maintain focus through repetitive tasks without letting quality slip, the role can be very rewarding. If you need constant variety or creative challenges, the structured nature of data collection can feel monotonous.
An honest look at who tends to thrive in this role — and who might find it challenging.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Technology roles →You're responsible for gathering, recording, and verifying the raw data that powers analysis and decision-making. Whether it's conducting surveys, capturing field measurements, digitizing records, or harvesting data from systems, you ensure that the information organizations depend on is accurate, complete, and properly formatted.
Median pay for a Data Collector is about $48K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $30K to $119K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Writing.
Most people in this role hold a high school diploma.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 11.6% through 2034, with roughly 515,050 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Data Operations Director, Senior Data Collector, and Data Center Product Director.
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