Let’s get this out of the way: being a Salesforce Business Analyst in 2025 is a little weird.
The role is not exactly booming. According to the 10K Talent Ecosystem Report, the global supply of Salesforce Business Analysts grew by 7% in established markets, but demand is still lagging behind. In fact, global demand for Salesforce Business Analysts has dropped. The one exception? India. Demand there grew by 1%, which technically counts as growth. So… a little progress?
Based on my experience, clarity about what exactly a Salesforce BA does is also lagging behind. Even with the official certification now a few years old, the Salesforce ecosystem hasn’t totally figured out where we fit (or doesn’t care due to budget constraints). Depending on the job posting, you might be expected to do user stories, process optimization, configuration, solution design, and maybe even facilitate a daily standup or two.
Now, add AI to the mix, and things get even blurrier. Salesforce BA job descriptions are already some of the most nebulous in the ecosystem. Could we be quietly heading toward a world where BAs are expected to use their communication skills to prompt-engineer Apex?
No matter where this ecosystem is headed, one thing I think will always be true: business analysis is foundational. Ask any established Salesforce professional, and they’ll tell you that every successful Salesforce project is built on a foundation of strong business analysis.
It’s also important to note that business analysis is not just something reserved for people with a “Business Analyst” title. The best architects, admins, and consultants rely on business analysis skills to do their jobs well, too. (Developers – fine, maybe you get a pass. But you still need to learn how to work with us!).
Yet, somehow, we are still considered “niche.”
So, what’s going on in the job market? Based on 2024-25 Salesforce Salary Survey, the global average BA salary has dropped by 5% in the past 18 months. That is more than the drop for admins and developers – and nearly as much as for consultants and architects. Yikes.
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at what Salesforce Business Analysts are earning across regions and experience levels. Using fresh salary data from Salesforce Ben’s annual industry survey, along with broader market insights, we’ll explore current trends, where BAs are gaining ground, and where challenges still remain.
Average Salesforce Business Analyst Salaries
The following salary figures represent the average salaries for Salesforce Business Analysts based on our recent survey of over 3,500 respondents across 95 countries and more than 20 industries. If you would like the full read-out for all roles – including junior, intermediate, senior, and director-level positions – please download the full report.
North America
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US ($) | $86,857 | $102,304 | $111,000 |
| Canada (C$) | $85,000 | $100,000 | $102,733 |
Europe
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK (£) | €45,000 | €70,500 | €74,333 |
| France (€) | – | – | €60,000 |
| Germany (€) | €50,000 | €64,000 | €65,000 |
| Spain (€) | – | – | €77,000 |
| Netherlands (€) | – | €54,333 | €82,000 |
Asia and Oceania
| Junior (less than 2 years) | Intermediate (3-5 years) | Senior (5+ years) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (AU$) | – | $137,000 | $142,000 |
| India (INR₹) | ₹380,000 | ₹920,000 | ₹2,500,000 |
Key Factors Influencing Salesforce Business Analyst Salaries
Relying on a single salary figure can be misleading without context. Various factors can lead to significant differences in salaries between professionals. In this section, we’ll explore the main factors that can impact your earning potential:
- Experience (With Caveats)
- Certifications
- Specialization
- Complexity of the Projects You Work
1. Experience (With Caveats)
Experience is often used as a baseline for salary expectations, and yes, it matters. Someone with five years of project battle scars is likely more prepared for the absolute menagerie of things that can go wrong on a Salesforce project than someone on their first assignment.
According to the survey, BAs with more than five years of experience are averaging out around $111,000 in the US. That number does not make sense to me. I have personally held pure SFBA roles that paid way more than that years ago, and I know I am not the only one. That number seems more appropriate for the low end of the range at that level.
Maybe that gap exists because experience alone does not always lead to higher pay. Years and project history matter, but if you are constantly learning, building your network, and leaving a trail of people who would love to work with you again, then do not consider $111,000 the salary that you should settle for. Good, experienced BAs are worth more than this.
Another issue is that many companies still do not know how to define what a Salesforce Business Analyst actually does. If the role itself is fuzzy, it makes sense that no one can agree on what “senior” means either. When teams are unclear on how to properly leverage a Salesforce BA, it is no surprise that hiring managers struggle to distinguish between junior and senior talent or to pay them accordingly. In an ecosystem that still undervalues the BA role, the budget often gets allocated elsewhere.
For those just starting out, the learning curve is steep and often unsupported. One of the biggest challenges with Salesforce business analysis is that it is hard to learn how to do it well without seeing it modeled by someone great. If you are trying to learn from others on your project team who have never worked with a strong BA before, you might pick up the wrong habits.
I have joined enterprise projects that were six months in where everything was already on fire, and the BAs genuinely thought their only job was to take notes. These were multi-million dollar implementations where no one on the team knew how to set up the BAs for success. It is maddening and could indicate that years of the wrong kind of experience could also negatively impact salary.
2. Certifications
I am still really proud of the Salesforce Business Analyst certification, and I hope people pursue it or at least go through the Trailhead content so they understand the value a Salesforce BA can bring to every step of a delivery project. That said, I will still die on the hill that the admin certification should be a prerequisite. You cannot be a truly great Salesforce Business Analyst without a strong understanding of what the platform can and cannot do.
I have seen wireframes from BAs that would have forced developers to custom-build features that come standard out of the box, simply because the BA did not know better. If you do not understand the platform, you will ask the wrong questions, coach users in the wrong direction, and hand off flawed requirements to the development team.
So yes, I love the Salesforce BA certification, but no, I do not think it is enough. At a minimum, you should start with the admin certification and then build on that platform knowledge by adding the BA cert. In some cases, even the admin certification alone may be enough to get started in that first BA role. As a BA, having an admin certification also signals that you might be able to contribute configuration support to the development team, too.
Now that I’ve got that off my chest, how do credentials translate to larger salaries? Well, credentials within and outside of the Salesforce ecosystem can absolutely help. The Salesforce Consultant certifications – like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Marketing Cloud – can signal depth in areas that matter to specific teams. Accredited Professional credentials, like Health Cloud, can also help signal expertise in certain industries.
I am also a fan of the Strategy Designer and UX Designer certs. If a project cannot afford a full-time UX resource (as in most Salesforce projects), then being the person who cares about user experience and adoption can make you more valuable as a BA. And that is exactly the kind of stuff hiring managers love to hear that you’re passionate about.
Sometimes, it helps to broaden your focus beyond core Salesforce certifications. Many enterprise projects involve much more than Salesforce itself. If you understand tools like data warehouses, Middleware, ServiceNow, SAP, or popular ISVs like Gearset, Conga, or Formstack, those keywords make it easier for hiring managers to picture how you fit into their specific project needs. The more your experience lines up with their tech stack, the more valuable you become.
Beyond technical and domain-specific certifications, there are also credentials that strengthen your skills and help position you for higher salaries. One I often recommend is the Certified Scrum Master. Being able to spot dysfunction and support agile processes is a superpower on any project team. The CBAP from the International Institute of Business Analysis is also a very well-respected credential that will help you formally understand business analysis.
While the Salesforce ecosystem might be a bit behind, business analysis as a discipline has been around since the 1940s. Even if hiring managers are not generally looking for a CBAP, it will make you a stronger BA and help you articulate your value more effectively during interviews. Worst case, it can help you pivot to BA work on technical projects outside the Salesforce ecosystem that might pay more.
3. Specialization
This builds on what I said earlier about the admin certification being your baseline. Once you have that foundation, digging deeper into specific Salesforce clouds can absolutely lead to higher salaries, especially the more niche ones. If you have experience with something like Manufacturing Cloud, Consumer Goods Cloud, or Health Cloud, and you can find projects that need that knowledge, those roles can pay extremely well.
These industries also tend to be more relationship-based. If you do a great job on one Health Cloud project, the team is likely to remember you for future work. People often stay within the same industry over time, so delivering value in a specialized area can create long-term opportunities.
This is also where transferable skills become powerful. If you already have industry experience – like healthcare, for example – you come in with a deep understanding of how the business works. You know what each stakeholder is responsible for, you can speak their language, and you already understand many of the challenges they are trying to solve. Add in Salesforce knowledge, and suddenly, you are the person who can translate both sides. That kind of specialization is valuable and often comes with a premium rate.
4. Complexity of the Projects You Work
If you are mostly working on small nonprofit builds, you are probably not going to see the same salary range as someone on a multi-million-dollar enterprise initiative with fifty consultants involved. That is okay. Not every BA needs to be on a giant project. Do what makes sense for your goals and lifestyle. But yes, the size and complexity of the projects that make up your experience absolutely factor into what people are willing to pay.
How to Increase Your Salesforce Business Analyst Salary
If you want to increase your salary, this section is for you. Here are five ways to grow your dough:
1. Show Off
When I say “show off,” I mean you need to be able to clearly articulate the value you bring to a project. In an ecosystem where many people still do not fully understand what a Salesforce Business Analyst does or what they should be doing, it is up to you to make that value obvious.
That starts with being able to speak confidently about your impact. Think about both quantitative and qualitative wins you can share in interviews, on your resume, and on LinkedIn. Track what you contributed to a project. Keep notes on the challenges you helped solve, the number of user stories you delivered, the number of stakeholders you worked with, or how you helped unblock a sprint or navigate stakeholder politics. Those kinds of details matter and show that you are not just present on a project but effective.
I am also a big fan of learning in public. Share what you are learning. Share how you approach discovery, documentation, or requirements gathering. Have a point of view on best practices. Things in the Salesforce ecosystem are still evolving, and showing your thinking helps build credibility. It positions you as a thought leader and not an order taker.
And if you are ready to take it a step further, put in abstracts for speaking engagements. The more we talk about business analysis in public spaces, the more this ecosystem starts to understand what the role actually is. Getting selected to speak helps establish you as an expert, can lead to better project opportunities, and makes it easier to justify a premium rate. Plus, you are helping champion a role that still needs a lot more understanding, so you will be helping other Salesforce BAs, too!
2. Network
Networking is important in tech, but in the Salesforce ecosystem, it is everything. This is a project-based role. You are not just looking for companies; you are looking for the people who have the projects. That means your next opportunity might come through a LinkedIn post, a Trailblazer Community Group, or someone you met in a Slack channel three months ago.
So where do you find these people? Join the Salesforce Slack communities. Be active on LinkedIn. Follow and engage with folks working in industries that interest you. Set email notifications for Salesforce Business Analyst posts on the Trailblazer Community boards. Come to events like TrailblazerDX, World Tours, and community-led conferences. And, of course, join the Salesforce BA Virtual Trailblazer Community group that I co-host with Pei Min Lum if you are not already in it.
There are so many ways to network as a Salesforce professional, and you should be doing as many of them as you can. If you have the perfect skill set for an upcoming project of great importance, people will pay money to snatch you away – but they have to know you exist first.
It’s also important to note that Business Analysts are customer-facing roles. If people like you in person or they like your online voice, they’ll be more likely to put you in front of their stakeholders. This also means it is really important not to let AI homogenize your voice. Edit everything before hitting “Post,” so you do not lose yourself along the way.
3. Aim for Roles That Pay More, but Still Look a Lot Like BA Roles
Remember how I said BA skills are foundational across the Salesforce ecosystem? That means you may already be qualified for roles that sound different but still center on what you are great at. Look into titles like product manager, product owner, solution architect, or functional consultant.
Take product owner, for example. You are still managing a backlog, writing user stories, running discovery sessions, and working closely with your team. The core is still there. The difference is that you take on more responsibility, more accountability, and yes, you usually get paid more for it.
Stretching into one of these roles does not mean giving up what you love about being a BA. It just means recognizing the overlap and seeing where your skills can take you next.
4. Wear More Hats
I’m not saying we should turn business analysts into ‘admin-architect-developer-pm-designer’ hybrids, but the reality is that Salesforce projects require a lot of different skill sets to succeed. It is not just about having a BA, an admin, and a developer. Projects need user experience design, a proper DevOps process, quality assurance, solid project management, and more. In a perfect world, each of these would be covered by dedicated experts, but in the real world, especially in today’s market, most projects do not have that kind of budget.
Part of the reason BAs are expected to fill so many gaps is that the role itself is still relatively immature in the Salesforce ecosystem. A lot of companies do not really know what a Salesforce BA is supposed to do, so they make assumptions based on what they think the project needs and hope the BA can figure it out. That is how we end up with job descriptions that include business analysis, agile delivery, training, configuration, and product ownership, all rolled into one.
This is where BAs can increase their value by building adjacent skills. Maybe you are not a full-time designer, but maybe you could learn UX principles. Maybe you are not a certified Scrum Master, but you know what makes a great standup. Maybe you are not a ‘flownatic’, but you can fuss with page layouts and dynamic forms all day. Expanding your skills to fill those small gaps can help your project succeed, and it can increase your earning potential.
Now, to be clear, I am not saying you need to learn how to code or whatever, but if that is something you genuinely enjoy – great! There are probably projects out there that would love that combination. Just please, for the rest of us, do not convince your boss that writing code is part of what BAs normally do.
5. Follow the Money
It is completely respectable and honestly encouraged to take on roles that make you feel good about the work you do or that involve projects you are genuinely excited about. If I were leading a Salesforce project at a company with a meaningful initiative, I would absolutely want people on the team who are enthusiastic about the work.
But if salary is a big factor for you, you may need to be strategic. Being a nonprofit Quip specialist, for example, probably is not going to be the move if you are looking to raise your income. Sometimes, passion does not translate to dinero. And that is okay. It is also okay to try something new and see how it feels.
Take Revenue Cloud, for example. With CPQ going end-of-sale, demand for Revenue Cloud experts (source: my LinkedIn inbox) has suddenly spiked. Keep an eye on the market. Pay attention to what recruiters are trying to staff. Look for patterns – and see if you can align your next steps with what’s in demand.
Summary
It is not the easiest time to be a Salesforce Business Analyst. The job market is weird, the role is still misunderstood, and sometimes it feels like every other posting wants you to be a one-person project team (which I’d rather leave to the solo admins…).
But here is the good news. BAs are versatile. BAs are foundational. And even when the ecosystem forgets that for a moment, the work you are doing is still valuable. Your time on this path is not wasted. You are building skills that travel well.
In a world where the Salesforce ecosystem still has not fully figured out what to do with Business Analysts, your best bet is to show people what is possible. Whether you stay a BA, pivot to product, or start leaning into strategy or solution design, the core of what you do matters. You help make sense of the chaos. You help teams deliver the right outcomes. And we need more of that.
So be strategic. Be visible. Be the BA people remember when the next big project comes around.