Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between analysts and research analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an analyst, becoming a research analyst takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an analyst has an average salary of $73,007, which is higher than the $70,232 average annual salary of a research analyst.
The top three skills for an analyst include customer service, troubleshoot and data analysis. The most important skills for a research analyst are data analysis, data collection, and research projects.
| Analyst | Research Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $73,007 | $70,232 |
| Hourly rate | $35.10 | $33.77 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 253,138 | 81,374 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes. They also research industry trends and data to make sound inferences and recommendations on what the company should do to improve their numbers. Analysts recommend business solutions and often help the organization roll out these solutions. They ensure that the proposed action plans are effective and produce the desired results.
A research analyst is responsible for providing a company with insights and advice concerning finance, investments, and expenditures. Utilizing their analytical skills and extensive expertise in marketing, they analyze the trends and significant factors to conclude which decision should be the best to make. They can also take part in conducting an in-depth analysis of a business and examine which areas require improvement or has potential. Furthermore, they may work with a company or independently as a freelance analyst.
Analysts and research analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Analyst | Research Analyst | |
| Average salary | $73,007 | $70,232 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $99,000 | Between $45,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between an analyst and a research analyst in terms of educational background:
| Analyst | Research Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between analysts' and research analysts' demographics:
| Analyst | Research Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |