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The differences between analyst leads and principal analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an analyst lead and a principal analyst. Additionally, a principal analyst has an average salary of $114,156, which is higher than the $95,264 average annual salary of an analyst lead.
The top three skills for an analyst lead include analytics, data analysis and project management. The most important skills for a principal analyst are portfolio, ERP, and project management.
| Analyst Lead | Principal Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $95,264 | $114,156 |
| Hourly rate | $45.80 | $54.88 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 122,353 | 158,160 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The duties of an analyst lead depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather leads and data, reviewing findings, and producing reports and presentations for the stakeholders and other higher-ranking officials. Through the results, an analyst lead can provide advice, devise strategies for business optimization, spearhead the development of processes, identify strengths and weaknesses, and offer recommendations on areas in need of improvement. All of this is done while in adherence to the company's vision and mission.
A principal analyst is responsible for evaluating the project management and product development procedures of an organization by analyzing data statistics and market trends. Principal analysts conduct operational audits to identify inconsistencies and defects, including the networks and system database. They create reports on their findings, as well as recommendations to improve optimization and maximum productivity. A principal analyst should be highly communicative and analytical as they also analyze sales reports and financial transactions to develop techniques for increasing profits and revenues.
Analyst leads and principal analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Analyst Lead | Principal Analyst | |
| Average salary | $95,264 | $114,156 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $122,000 | Between $87,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | ||
| Best paying industry | Finance | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between an analyst lead and a principal analyst in terms of educational background:
| Analyst Lead | Principal Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between analyst leads' and principal analysts' demographics:
| Analyst Lead | Principal Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% | Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |