Data analyst vs cyber security analyst

The differences between data analysts and cyber security analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a data analyst, becoming a cyber security analyst takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a cyber security analyst has an average salary of $88,422, which is higher than the $74,342 average annual salary of a data analyst.

The top three skills for a data analyst include data analysis, python and power bi. The most important skills for a cyber security analyst are incident response, windows, and SIEM.

Data analyst vs cyber security analyst overview

	Data Analyst	Cyber Security Analyst
Yearly salary	$74,342	$88,422
Hourly rate	$35.74	$42.51
Growth rate	11%	32%
Number of jobs	167,520	64,387
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	44	42
Years of experience	4	6

What does a data analyst do?

Data analysts are responsible for interpreting the company's statistics and providing sound recommendations to the organization. They manage the organization's data sets, usually related to market performance, finance, or human resources. They are in charge of studying the available data, spotting trends, interpreting what the data and the trends mean, and recommending suggestions that will help the organization perform better. Their recommendations should also be relevant and backed up with strong analyses. Data analysts are expected to have a good grasp of the current market trends in the industry.

What does a cyber security analyst do?

A cybersecurity analyst is responsible for planning and carrying out security measures to protect a company's computer networks and systems. They constantly keep tabs on threats and monitor their organization's networks for any security breaches. Their tasks involve installing computer programs or software and encryption, reporting breaches or weak spots, exploring new IT trends, educating the company's information security team on security. They also do simulate security attacks to find possible network and system vulnerabilities.

Data analyst vs cyber security analyst salary

Data analysts and cyber security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Analyst	Cyber Security Analyst
Average salary	$74,342	$88,422
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $103,000	Between $66,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, CA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Oregon
Best paying company	The Citadel	Neighborly
Best paying industry	Finance	Automotive

Differences between data analyst and cyber security analyst education

There are a few differences between a data analyst and a cyber security analyst in terms of educational background:

	Data Analyst	Cyber Security Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Computer Information Systems
Most common college	Northwestern University	California State University - Bakersfield

Data analyst vs cyber security analyst demographics

Here are the differences between data analysts' and cyber security analysts' demographics:

	Data Analyst	Cyber Security Analyst
Average age	44	42
Gender ratio	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%	Male, 78.5% Female, 21.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	12%	9%

Differences between data analyst and cyber security analyst duties and responsibilities

Data analyst example responsibilities.

Manage patient s data in UNIX system.
Manage loan performance in Hyperion Financials using SQL and PL/SQL tools.
Manage and contribute to EDI processes ensuring HIPAA compliance and access to clearing house review on individual case status.
Develop Java application to automate reformatting of text files for an internal application.
Execute deterministic modeling and Monte Carlo simulations in MATLAB to achieve greater mathematical confidence in results obtain from analysis.
Manage weapon system project websites via SharePoint, including troubleshooting technical issues and developing guidelines for public/private information and user permissions.

Cyber security analyst example responsibilities.

Ensure all requirements are met to successfully achieve an ATO before release.
Leverage this same site-to-site VPN technology to automate and secure transactions between FMC and its business partners.
Lead technical implementation through multiple projects to reduce the cardholder data environment and ultimately reduce the scope of PCI relate environments.
Log analysis & managing the accuracy of DLP identification to lowering/avoiding false positives and negatives.
Review and manage the security and information assurance capabilities of database applications, database structure and architecture.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.

Data analyst vs cyber security analyst skills

Common data analyst skills

Data Analysis, 10%
Python, 7%
Power Bi, 6%
Data Management, 6%
Visualization, 5%
Data Quality, 4%

Common cyber security analyst skills

Incident Response, 8%
Windows, 6%
SIEM, 5%
DOD, 5%
Linux, 4%
Security Events, 4%

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Data Analyst vs Cyber Security Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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