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The differences between contractor/consultants and information technology consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a contractor/consultant has an average salary of $84,811, which is higher than the $84,790 average annual salary of an information technology consultant.
The top three skills for a contractor/consultant include healthcare, post implementation and data analysis. The most important skills for an information technology consultant are customer service, database, and project management.
| Contractor/Consultant | Information Technology Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $84,811 | $84,790 |
| Hourly rate | $40.77 | $40.76 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 64,573 | 142,475 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A contractor is a self-employed businessperson who agrees to work for a fixed price. His/her job involves the evaluation of clients' needs and actual performance of work. On the other hand, a consultant is a skilled independent businessperson who provides expert teaching and training in a specific market by assisting existing staff for the improvement of operations, problem-solving, and development of strategies. His/her role is to assess clients' needs and provide expert advice and opinion. However, both individuals are not employees, since they came from outside of the organization to perform such services.
An Information Technology Consultant, also known as IT Consultant, is responsible for sharing extensive knowledge of Information Technology by providing suggestions and solving issues within the company. Among the duties include installing and maintaining the necessary software and hardware, designing new procedures, overseeing all implementations, and ensuring that all systems are running smoothly, employing methods to secure databases, and providing essential instructions when needed. Furthermore, an Information Technology Consultant needs to coordinate and report to management or supervisors at all times.
Contractor/consultants and information technology consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contractor/Consultant | Information Technology Consultant | |
| Average salary | $84,811 | $84,790 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $123,000 | Between $62,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Cerner | California Resources |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a contractor/consultant and an information technology consultant in terms of educational background:
| Contractor/Consultant | Information Technology Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between contractor/consultants' and information technology consultants' demographics:
| Contractor/Consultant | Information Technology Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8% | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.5% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |