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The differences between decision analysts and staff analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff analyst has an average salary of $99,158, which is higher than the $79,900 average annual salary of a decision analyst.
The top three skills for a decision analyst include data analysis, SQL and SAS. The most important skills for a staff analyst are project management, process improvement, and technical support.
| Decision Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $79,900 | $99,158 |
| Hourly rate | $38.41 | $47.67 |
| Growth rate | 23% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 62,744 | 174,178 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A decision analyst helps companies make decisions using different research strategies and mathematical equations based on relevant data. Although their duties vary upon their industry or company of employment, it usually includes understanding the company's vision and mission, conducting market research and analyses, gathering and interpreting data, analyzing consumer feedback, developing sales forecasts, performing risk assessments, and studying the competition. Through their research findings, a decision analyst comes to a conclusion and develops recommendations that will not just help make decisions but also be vital in optimizing procedures and solving existing issues.
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.
Decision analysts and staff analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Decision Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Average salary | $79,900 | $99,158 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $110,000 | Between $71,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Bayer |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a decision analyst and a staff analyst in terms of educational background:
| Decision Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Columbia University in the City of New York | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between decision analysts' and staff analysts' demographics:
| Decision Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.3% Female, 46.7% | Male, 47.6% Female, 52.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 13.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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 | 9% | 12% |