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The differences between business analysts and scrum masters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a business analyst, becoming a scrum master takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a scrum master has an average salary of $86,329, 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 scrum master are jira, software development, and agile scrum.
| Business Analyst | Scrum Master | |
| Yearly salary | $74,431 | $86,329 |
| Hourly rate | $35.78 | $41.50 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 170,514 | 44,670 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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 scrum master is a job that's rooted in leadership. It is the scrum master's responsibility to ensure a scrum process over the development of a project. They are not directly involved in the decision-making but guide the team in completing the scrum process with their experience and expertise. Also, a scrum master must be adept at being agile in approaching a project and also be able to schedule meetings during the process. In addition, the scrum master acts as a coach as well, helping the scrum teamwork cross-functionally.
Business analysts and scrum masters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Analyst | Scrum Master | |
| Average salary | $74,431 | $86,329 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $103,000 | Between $65,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | ICE Mortgage Technology |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Energy |
There are a few differences between a business analyst and a scrum master in terms of educational background:
| Business Analyst | Scrum Master | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between business analysts' and scrum masters' demographics:
| Business Analyst | Scrum Master | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1% | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |