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The differences between buying analysts and staff 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 staff analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a staff analyst has an average salary of $99,158, which is higher than the $77,425 average annual salary of a buying analyst.
The top three skills for a buying analyst include purchase orders, delivery schedules and MRP. The most important skills for a staff analyst are project management, process improvement, and technical support.
| Buying Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $77,425 | $99,158 |
| Hourly rate | $37.22 | $47.67 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 22,966 | 174,178 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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.
Staff Analysts are employees who oversee the activities related to the employees. They monitor the performance of the employees and assess whether particular employees suit the role they have. They also assess the current roles in the company to see if those roles are really needed. Staff Analysts ensure that the manpower allocation in the company is efficient. They analyze staff-related data to check whether there are more areas for improvement. Staff Analysts may also be assigned to come up with projects related to improving productivity.
Buying analysts and staff analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Buying Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Average salary | $77,425 | $99,158 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $113,000 | Between $71,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | YellowHammer | Bayer |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a buying analyst and a staff analyst in terms of educational background:
| Buying Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between buying analysts' and staff analysts' demographics:
| Buying Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.2% Female, 47.8% | Male, 47.6% Female, 52.4% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 12.1% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 12% |