The hands-on upkeep of an organization's data — entering, maintaining, organizing, and fixing it — runs through you, keeping records accurate and systems usable. The practical backbone behind the data.
The work means entering and updating records, maintaining databases and running routine tasks, and troubleshooting issues as they arise. You support analysts, IT, or operations, often the go-to for anything data-related. Accuracy and consistency are the job — a small error can ripple into someone else's report.
What people underestimate is the breadth and the repetition — you handle a lot of small, varied tasks that have to be right. Tools and demands evolve, deadlines tie to data cycles, and being the go-to person can mean constant interruptions. Scope varies widely by organization.
It fits someone reliable, detail-oriented, and comfortable with steady, varied work. If you want analysis or creative latitude, the role can feel routine. But if you take satisfaction in keeping the data clean and the systems running — and being the dependable one people rely on — the role tends to suit, day after day.
Your job belongs to your employer.
Your career belongs to you.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Your job belongs to your employer.
Your career belongs to 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 →The hands-on upkeep of an organization's data — entering, maintaining, organizing, and fixing it — runs through you, keeping records accurate and systems usable. The practical backbone behind the data.
Median pay for a Data Technician is about $61K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $38K to $154K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 0.75% through 2034, with roughly 10,560 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Data Operations Director, Data Center Product Director, and Clinical Data Management Director (CDM Director).
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