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The differences between buying analysts and reporting analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a buying analyst, becoming a reporting analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a buying analyst has an average salary of $77,425, which is higher than the $73,478 average annual salary of a reporting analyst.
The top three skills for a buying analyst include purchase orders, delivery schedules and MRP. The most important skills for a reporting analyst are power bi, data analysis, and dashboards.
| Buying Analyst | Reporting Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $77,425 | $73,478 |
| Hourly rate | $37.22 | $35.33 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 22,966 | 87,731 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
As a reporting analyst, you are responsible for collecting relevant reports, analyzing raw data, writing, and delivering executive-ready qualitative and/or quantitative reports as per clients' requirements. The results collected will be communicated to managers or clients, who will then provide suggestions based on their findings. This person must have excellent quantitative & qualitative analytical skills, a strong eye for detail, strong organizational and multitasking abilities, and be able to work on tight deadlines. Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Excel is a must for this position.
Buying analysts and reporting analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Buying Analyst | Reporting Analyst | |
| Average salary | $77,425 | $73,478 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $113,000 | Between $56,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | YellowHammer | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a buying analyst and a reporting analyst in terms of educational background:
| Buying Analyst | Reporting Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between buying analysts' and reporting analysts' demographics:
| Buying Analyst | Reporting Analyst | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.2% Female, 47.8% | Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9% |
| 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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.4% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 12% |