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It's hard to fathom the thought of doing data entries without Microsoft Excel. If you speak to your parents or grandparents, they could tell you of a whole different world, involving an obsolete machine they used back in the heyday of data tabulations. That's right, it's the keypunch, a device originally invented by Herman Hollerith to help in the process of information summarization.

This machine allowed the punching of holes into a stiff paper in predefined locations to represent digital data, which then acted as input, output, and data storage when being fed into a data processing system. However, it was difficult to present graphs using code, let alone using a keypunch, which was why spreadsheets became the holy grail, allowing data visualizations to be done in a structured way. Spreadsheets have become a powerful tool used by accountants, engineers, scientists, sales in presenting, analyzing, storing, and calculating complex data.

A data entry specialist is responsible for searching through databases and updating information in computer applications. If you are detail oriented and enjoy compiling data, then this role will fit you. This job requires a proficient level of Microsoft Suites and a good IT literacy level. A data entry specialist works the usual 40 hours per week and gets paid $14 per hour on average.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a data entry specialist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.85 an hour? That's $30,893 a year!

What Does a Data Entry Specialist Do

When it comes to the most important skills required to be a data entry specialist, we found that a lot of resumes listed 17.0% of data entry specialists included data entry, while 12.0% of resumes included customer service, and 7.6% of resumes included computer database. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.

Learn more about what a Data Entry Specialist does

How To Become a Data Entry Specialist

If you're interested in becoming a data entry specialist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 37.8% of data entry specialists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.5% of data entry specialists have master's degrees. Even though some data entry specialists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a data entry specialist. When we researched the most common majors for a data entry specialist, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on data entry specialist resumes include high school diploma degrees or diploma degrees.

You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a data entry specialist. In fact, many data entry specialist jobs require experience in a role such as customer service representative. Meanwhile, many data entry specialists also have previous career experience in roles such as administrative assistant or cashier.

Data Entry Specialist Career Paths

Average Salary for a Data Entry Specialist

Data Entry Specialists in America make an average salary of $30,893 per year or $15 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $38,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $24,000 per year.
Average Data Entry Specialist Salary
$30,893 Yearly
$14.85 hourly
$24,000
10 %
$30,000
Median
$38,000
90 %

What Am I Worth?

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Data Entry Specialist Education

Data Entry Specialist Majors

26.6 %

Data Entry Specialist Degrees

Bachelors

37.8 %

Associate

25.3 %

High School Diploma

20.7 %

Top Skills For a Data Entry Specialist

Choose From 10+ Customizable Data Entry Specialist Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Data Entry Specialist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Data Entry Specialist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Data Entry Specialist Demographics

Data Entry Specialist Gender Distribution

Female
Female
75%
Male
Male
25%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among data entry specialists, 75.2% of them are women, while 24.8% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among data entry specialists is White, which makes up 60.2% of all data entry specialists.

  • The most common foreign language among data entry specialists is Spanish at 63.6%.

Online Courses For Data Entry Specialist That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  The courses listed below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the course, we may receive a commission.
Data Entry Course for Beginners
udemy
4.5
(2,321)

Learn from a Successful Data Entry Professional!...

Tableau Data Analyst/Specialist Desktop Certification
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From beginners to skills needed for Data Analyst or Desktop Specialist certifications. Tableau 2021, 2020, 2019...

Health Data 101
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An Introduction to Health Data for data analysts...

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Best States For a Data Entry Specialist

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a data entry specialist. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, California, Washington, and Massachusetts. Data entry specialists make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $36,230. Whereas in California and Washington, they would average $34,845 and $34,585, respectively. While data entry specialists would only make an average of $33,026 in Massachusetts, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Alaska

Total Data Entry Specialist Jobs:
184
Highest 10% Earn:
$40,000
Location Quotient:
1.2 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here

2. Arizona

Total Data Entry Specialist Jobs:
1,206
Highest 10% Earn:
$41,000
Location Quotient:
1.12 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here

3. Nevada

Total Data Entry Specialist Jobs:
413
Highest 10% Earn:
$40,000
Location Quotient:
1.07 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
Full List Of Best States For Data Entry Specialists

How Do Data Entry Specialist Rate Their Jobs?

Zippia Official Logo

5.0

Love to do this • August 2019

5.0

Zippia Official LogoLove to do this • August 2019

What do you like the most about working as Data Entry Specialist?

Accuracy of information input, problem solvingchallenges, deadlines to meet, help and support to and for others. Show More

What do you NOT like?

Lack of education in the field, not many educational programs available vocational or online.. Show More

Zippia Official Logo

5.0

Senior Data Entry Specialist • August 2019

5.0

Zippia Official LogoSenior Data Entry Specialist • August 2019

What do you like the most about working as Data Entry Specialist?

New Cases everyday Show More

What do you NOT like?

It can get repetitive some days so need a break after a case or two Show More

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Top Data Entry Specialist Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ data entry specialists and discovered their number of data entry specialist opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Robert Half was the best, especially with an average salary of $30,093. Iron Mountain follows up with an average salary of $30,209, and then comes Adecco USA with an average of $29,458. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a data entry specialist. The employers include STV Group, Axos Bank, and Sharecare

Most Common Employers For Data Entry Specialist

Rank  Company  Average Salary  Hourly Rate  Job Openings  
1Citi$74,610$35.8758
2JPMorgan Chase & Co.$44,166$21.23168
3Bank of America$43,142$20.74134
4Wells Fargo$43,139$20.7460
5SunTrust$39,483$18.9859
6SourceHOV$36,501$17.5543
7McKesson$35,244$16.9451
8Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina$34,033$16.3641
9Express Scripts Holding$33,892$16.2940
10American Red Cross$31,540$15.1689

Data Entry Specialist Videos

Becoming a Data Entry Specialist FAQs

Can I work in data entry with no experience?

Yes, you can work in data entry with no experience or special educational qualifications. Although many employers prefer hiring candidates with prior data entry experience, those individuals will also earn more due to their past work experiences.

How long does it take to become a data entry specialist?

It takes three to six months to become a data entry specialist. There are several job requirements that a candidate must be proficient at before entering a data entry position.

While there are no formal educational requirements for working in data entry, several specific skills will either need to be learned prior to working in the field or become training after being hired into a data entry position. Skilled typing and knowledge of software relating to spreadsheets and filing systems are necessary.

What does it take to be a data entry specialist?

Being a data entry specialist takes specific skills of typing efficiency and speed, computer knowledge, and organizational skills.

Typing speed is an essential skill of a data entry specialist. Candidates should be able to type a minimum of 60 words per minute. Many employers are looking for individuals who can type 80 to 90 words per minute accurately.

What qualifications are needed for data entry?

The qualifications need for data entry are typing efficiency and speed, computer knowledge, and organizational skills.

Typing speed is an essential skill of a data entry specialist. Candidates should be able to type a minimum of 60 words per minute. Many employers are looking for individuals who can type 80 to 90 words per minute accurately.

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