Data processing analyst vs staff analyst

The differences between data processing 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 data processing 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 $76,487 average annual salary of a data processing analyst.

The top three skills for a data processing analyst include data analysis, process improvement and visualization. The most important skills for a staff analyst are project management, process improvement, and technical support.

Data processing analyst vs staff analyst overview

	Data Processing Analyst	Staff Analyst
Yearly salary	$76,487	$99,158
Hourly rate	$36.77	$47.67
Growth rate	9%	11%
Number of jobs	128,197	174,178
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	43	44
Years of experience	6	4

What does a data processing analyst do?

Data Processing Analysts are responsible for analyzing and maintaining the data systems of an organization. Their duties include interpreting data, analyzing statistical results, creating databases, identifying patterns from data sets, and undertake data filtering. They are also involved in preparing analytics reports, developing data visualizations, and mining data sets from primary or secondary sources. Data Processing Analysts also execute process automation, data validation, and documenting client's business requirements. They continuously monitor the performance metric of a project.

What does a staff analyst do?

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.

Data processing analyst vs staff analyst salary

Data processing analysts and staff analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Processing Analyst	Staff Analyst
Average salary	$76,487	$99,158
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $107,000	Between $71,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	New Jersey
Best paying company	PayPal	Bayer
Best paying industry	Automotive	Technology

Differences between data processing analyst and staff analyst education

There are a few differences between a data processing analyst and a staff analyst in terms of educational background:

	Data Processing Analyst	Staff Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Northwestern University

Data processing analyst vs staff analyst demographics

Here are the differences between data processing analysts' and staff analysts' demographics:

	Data Processing Analyst	Staff Analyst
Average age	43	44
Gender ratio	Male, 54.4% Female, 45.6%	Male, 47.6% Female, 52.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.5% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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	8%	12%

Differences between data processing analyst and staff analyst duties and responsibilities

Data processing analyst example responsibilities.

Manage and contribute to EDI processes ensuring HIPAA compliance and access to clearing house review on individual case status.
Develop and teach seminars on the use of statistical software including SPSS and SAS.
Implement and maintain Microsoft SharePoint.
Supervise SharePoint migration while insuring adherence to data governance, disaster recovery and backup policy compliance.
Contribute with management and business teams to develop and implement documentation and operational guidelines design to support MDM and business strategies.
Maintain and update Winshuttle transaction scripts.

Staff analyst example responsibilities.

Develop infrastructure to enable clients to better understand and manage risks associate with their decision environment to capture opportunities.
Communicate with design engineers to obtain weekly status of engineering documents and update spreadsheet and charts in SharePoint.
Project manager for derivative processing on the accounting platform including creating a steam line process and validating tickets for accuracy.
Provide statistically orient in-depth market analyses using SAS for specific construction products including concrete, oil, steel and machinery equipment.
Deliver an innovative data visualization capability.
Monitor and analyze critical path of material flows and trends, coordinate material synchronization within the MRP system to maximize profitability.

Data processing analyst vs staff analyst skills

Common data processing analyst skills

Data Analysis, 16%
Process Improvement, 10%
Visualization, 8%
Tableau, 8%
Analyze Data, 5%
Data Collection, 5%

Common staff analyst skills

Project Management, 9%
Process Improvement, 7%
Technical Support, 6%
Windows, 6%
SQL, 6%
Logistics, 5%

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Data Processing Analyst vs Staff Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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