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The differences between business analyst-consultants and lead business analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a business analyst-consultant and a lead business analyst. Additionally, a lead business analyst has an average salary of $107,171, which is higher than the $90,127 average annual salary of a business analyst-consultant.
The top three skills for a business analyst-consultant include strong analytical, business process and data analysis. The most important skills for a lead business analyst are project management, scrum, and business analysis.
| Business Analyst-Consultant | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $90,127 | $107,171 |
| Hourly rate | $43.33 | $51.52 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 166,560 | 126,509 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A business analyst-consultant is responsible for overseeing the project management and ensuring that the operations meet the agreed-upon project deliverables. Business analyst-consultants closely coordinate with the clients for their specifications and requirements, monitoring the resources and processes for the project completion, and aligning those to the clients' budget goals. A business analyst-consultant helps the development team on strategizing techniques for brand promotions with minimal costs with maximum quality and productivity. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on identifying business opportunities to drive revenues and increase profitability.
A lead business analyst utilizes data and analytical skills to plan, develop, and implement business systems and operations to help a company attain its short and long-term goals. Their duties focus on conducting market research and assessments, gathering and analyzing data, studying consumers and competitors in the industry, and identifying the strengths and weaknesses in existing systems. They also conduct risk assessments, create business models and forecasts, and identify solutions against potential or existing issues. Additionally, through their research findings, they develop recommendations in adherence to company standards and regulations.
Business analyst-consultants and lead business analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Analyst-Consultant | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Average salary | $90,127 | $107,171 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $122,000 | Between $82,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | BNY Mellon | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a business analyst-consultant and a lead business analyst in terms of educational background:
| Business Analyst-Consultant | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between business analyst-consultants' and lead business analysts' demographics:
| Business Analyst-Consultant | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.2% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |