Data scientist vs data consultant

The differences between data scientists and data consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a data scientist and a data consultant. Additionally, a data scientist has an average salary of $106,104, which is higher than the $94,945 average annual salary of a data consultant.

The top three skills for a data scientist include python, data science and visualization. The most important skills for a data consultant are analytics, data quality, and data management.

Data scientist vs data consultant overview

	Data Scientist	Data Consultant
Yearly salary	$106,104	$94,945
Hourly rate	$51.01	$45.65
Growth rate	16%	11%
Number of jobs	106,973	149,791
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	41	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a data scientist do?

A Data Scientist analyzes information from multiple sources in order to gain maximum insight that can give the company a competitive advantage. They work in different domains, including manufacturing, healthcare, education, and finance.

What does a data consultant do?

A data consultant is primarily responsible for devising strategies on finding data and utilizing them according to the needs of a company. Most of the time, they are in charge of gathering data through various means and opportunities, maintaining and designing a database, coordinating with multiple data specialists, inspecting data for any inconsistencies, and performing corrective measures. Furthermore, a data consultant may develop systems and networks for data storage, all while adhering to the policies and standards of the company.

Data scientist vs data consultant salary

Data scientists and data consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Scientist	Data Consultant
Average salary	$106,104	$94,945
Salary range	Between $75,000 And $148,000	Between $70,000 And $127,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	The Citadel	Google
Best paying industry	Start-up	Health Care

Differences between data scientist and data consultant education

There are a few differences between a data scientist and a data consultant in terms of educational background:

	Data Scientist	Data Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Computer Science	Business
Most common college	Columbia University in the City of New York	University of Pennsylvania

Data scientist vs data consultant demographics

Here are the differences between data scientists' and data consultants' demographics:

	Data Scientist	Data Consultant
Average age	41	44
Gender ratio	Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4%	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 18.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.3% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	12%

Differences between data scientist and data consultant duties and responsibilities

Data scientist example responsibilities.

Update, maintain, and manage regional CRM database and records for customers, vendors, and suppliers.
Configure and manage JobScope ERP system for a make-to-order/make-to-stock design and manufacturing environment.
Lead the analysis in SAS for data integration of mortality data using meta-analysis integration methods.
Implement a proximal stochastic gradient descent with a line search to fit a regularize logistic regression in Scala
Perform cross-validation-test on linear regression model of data using scikit-learn.
Develop python base statistical visualization to provide insights of fuzzy social media data.

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Data consultant example responsibilities.

Used SSRS to create and manage a number of complex reports according to user specifications.
Analyze, document and manage all project requirements and changes to the requirements throughout the SDLC.
Design and manage postgres database schemas; configure postgres servers in Linux environments to meet business requirements.
Manage weapon system project websites via SharePoint, including troubleshooting technical issues and developing guidelines for public/private information and user permissions.
Implement data extraction, transformation and load processes in a parallel framework.
Compile a written report highlighting exploratory data analysis, visualization, and predictions.

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Data scientist vs data consultant skills

Common data scientist skills

Python, 13%
Data Science, 10%
Visualization, 5%
Java, 4%
Hadoop, 4%
Tableau, 3%

Common data consultant skills

Analytics, 13%
Data Quality, 7%
Data Management, 6%
Data Governance, 5%
Informatica, 4%
Master Data, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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