What does it cost to hire an operations research analyst in Indianapolis?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $86,660 median wage in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $17,332 to $25,998 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for an operations research analyst in Indianapolis look like?

Employers in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area pay operations research analysts a median of $86,660, with the middle half of the market between $69,240 and $121,570 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $69,240 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Is the talent for this role already in Indianapolis?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 34.2% of Indianapolis adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Hiring an operations research analyst in Indianapolis, IN

Employers in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area pay operations research analysts a median of $86,660 a year, with the middle half of the market between $69,240 and $121,570 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-2031). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do Indianapolis residents in computer and mathematical work earn more than employers in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area pay?

Indianapolis residents working in computer and mathematical occupations earn a median of $80,761 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $98,060 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 18%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole computer and mathematical group, not this one role. In the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area the group covers 19 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from computer user support specialists at $60,080 to database architects at $136,990 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with operations research analysts at $86,660 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 19 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Indianapolis residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

What does an operations research analyst earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to operations research analysts by employers in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-2031.
25th percentile	$69,240
Median	$86,660
75th percentile	$121,570

Half of operations research analysts in this area earn between $69,240 and $121,570 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $69,240 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 15-2031 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What Indianapolis residents earn

$80,761

Median annual earnings of Indianapolis residents working in computer and mathematical occupations, 15,080 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Present the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users.
Define data requirements, and gather and validate information, applying judgment and statistical tests.
Perform validation and testing of models to ensure adequacy, and reformulate models, as necessary.
Prepare management reports defining and evaluating problems and recommending solutions.
Collaborate with others in the organization to ensure successful implementation of chosen problem solutions.

Task statements for SOC 15-2031, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Power BI, Microsoft PowerPoint, Python, Salesforce software, Structured query language SQL.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 15-2031 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Indianapolis?

This is a job zone five: extensive preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). O*NET OnLine, SOC 15-2031.

That matters here, because 34.2% of Indianapolis adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Indianapolis aged 25 and over.

The average Indianapolis commute runs 24.3 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 12.3% of Indianapolis workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Indianapolis.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Marion County, computer systems design and related services employs 15,737 and turns over 6.5% a quarter, with 1,202 hires against 1,251 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $10,062 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5415.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about operations research analysts. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $86,660 median in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $17,332 to $25,998 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring an operations research analyst in Indianapolis

What does it cost to hire an operations research analyst in Indianapolis?: Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $86,660 median wage in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $17,332 to $25,998 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for an operations research analyst in Indianapolis look like?: Employers in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area pay operations research analysts a median of $86,660, with the middle half of the market between $69,240 and $121,570 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $69,240 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do Indianapolis residents in computer and mathematical work earn more than employers in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area pay?: Indianapolis residents working in computer and mathematical occupations earn a median of $80,761 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $98,060 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 18%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in Indianapolis?: This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 34.2% of Indianapolis adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring an operations research analyst somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other computer and mathematical roles in Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the largest of 2 Indiana cities in this dataset.