Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between commercial specialists and project 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 commercial specialist and a project analyst. Additionally, a project analyst has an average salary of $71,174, which is higher than the $55,619 average annual salary of a commercial specialist.
The top three skills for a commercial specialist include customer service, portfolio and commercial loans. The most important skills for a project analyst are project management, data analysis, and customer service.
| Commercial Specialist | Project Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $55,619 | $71,174 |
| Hourly rate | $26.74 | $34.22 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 48,979 | 207,513 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Commercial specialists are professional analysts who assist their firms by developing marketing strategies, identifying business opportunities to provide data for reporting, planning, and executing trade events. These specialists investigate and write recommendations to match businesses and resolve sensitive trade complaints. Their list of responsibilities includes organizing events or meetings, supervising contractors, preparing promotional and briefing materials, and a lot more. When the events, products, and services are assigned, they follow up with their clients about them to determine their success accurately.
A project analyst is responsible for overseeing the development of new projects upon completion of data gathering. A project analyst must provide plans and design the project to its full potential. For this, it is essential to conduct extensive research and coordinate with all staff and departments involved through regular reports and various forms of communication. Furthermore, a project analyst must devise strategies to improve particular projects for it to succeed and achieve better results, all in adherence to the company policies and regulations.
Commercial specialists and project analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Specialist | Project Analyst | |
| Average salary | $55,619 | $71,174 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $97,000 | Between $52,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Bain & Company | |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a commercial specialist and a project analyst in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Specialist | Project Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between commercial specialists' and project analysts' demographics:
| Commercial Specialist | Project Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3% | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 9.8% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 13.7% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |