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The differences between business analysts and data scientists 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 and a data scientist. Additionally, a data scientist has an average salary of $106,104, which is higher than the $74,431 average annual salary of a business analyst.
The top three skills for a business analyst include project management, data analysis and business analysis. The most important skills for a data scientist are python, data science, and visualization.
| Business Analyst | Data Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $74,431 | $106,104 |
| Hourly rate | $35.78 | $51.01 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 170,514 | 106,973 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Business analysts are employees who are responsible for interpreting business data and coming up with business solutions. They are well-versed in whatever business the company is in, and they have strong business acumen. They collect data related to the business and then interpret and analyze the data. Business analysts should be able to conduct different levels of analyses and must also be able to create a sound study. Once the analysis is done, they provide recommendations or strategic direction to decision-makers that will help the business become sustainable and grow.
A Data Scientist analyzes information from multiple sources in order to gain maximum insight that can give the company a competitive advantage. They work in different domains, including manufacturing, healthcare, education, and finance.
Business analysts and data scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Analyst | Data Scientist | |
| Average salary | $74,431 | $106,104 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $103,000 | Between $75,000 And $148,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a business analyst and a data scientist in terms of educational background:
| Business Analyst | Data Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Columbia University in the City of New York |
Here are the differences between business analysts' and data scientists' demographics:
| Business Analyst | Data Scientist | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 18.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |