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The differences between business analyst/project managers 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/project manager and a lead business analyst. Additionally, a lead business analyst has an average salary of $107,171, which is higher than the $99,882 average annual salary of a business analyst/project manager.
The top three skills for a business analyst/project manager include project management, business stakeholders and business process. The most important skills for a lead business analyst are project management, scrum, and business analysis.
| Business Analyst/Project Manager | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $99,882 | $107,171 |
| Hourly rate | $48.02 | $51.52 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 173,827 | 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/project manager is responsible for developing project management procedures, analyzing processes, and ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of project deliverables, following clients' specifications and requirements to meet their highest satisfaction. Business analysts/project managers manage project resources, delegate tasks to project staff, setting deadlines, and coordinating with the clients for regular updates and suggest strategic adjustments as needed. They also mitigate potential risks and manage changes during the project execution, maintaining the quality of the outputs, and balancing costs to meet the clients' budget goals.
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/project managers and lead business analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Analyst/Project Manager | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Average salary | $99,882 | $107,171 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $137,000 | Between $82,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Citi | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a business analyst/project manager and a lead business analyst in terms of educational background:
| Business Analyst/Project Manager | 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/project managers' and lead business analysts' demographics:
| Business Analyst/Project Manager | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% | 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% |