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The differences between buying analysts and material analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a buying analyst and a material analyst. Additionally, a buying analyst has an average salary of $77,425, which is higher than the $66,092 average annual salary of a material analyst.
The top three skills for a buying analyst include purchase orders, delivery schedules and MRP. The most important skills for a material analyst are supply chain, logistics, and MRP.
| Buying Analyst | Material Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $77,425 | $66,092 |
| Hourly rate | $37.22 | $31.77 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 22,966 | 48,758 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A buying analyst specializes in conducting extensive market research and analysis to develop conclusions and recommendations that will help companies in making purchase decisions. They focus on studying the suppliers and competing companies, gathering and analyzing consumer feedback, performing audits and risk assessments, and making forecast models. They may also assess and evaluate external parties, such as vendors and distributors. Through the findings of their research, a buying analyst may also help in establishing guidelines, protocols, and methods to optimize business operations and develop solutions against problem areas.
A materials analyst is responsible for managing the assets and materials of an organization, ensuring the adequacy of office inventories to support business operational functions. Materials analysts identify cost-reduction materials by coordinating with trusted suppliers and third-party vendors. They handle the distribution of goods and order processes according to the company's supply chain management. A materials analyst must have excellent organizational and analytical skills, especially in conducting data and statistical analysis to obtain high-quality materials that would meet the customers' demands.
Buying analysts and material analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Buying Analyst | Material Analyst | |
| Average salary | $77,425 | $66,092 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $113,000 | Between $49,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Union City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | YellowHammer | Micron Technology |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a buying analyst and a material analyst in terms of educational background:
| Buying Analyst | Material Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between buying analysts' and material analysts' demographics:
| Buying Analyst | Material Analyst | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.2% Female, 47.8% | Male, 53.4% Female, 46.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.4% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |