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The differences between economic development specialists and development specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an economic development specialist and a development specialist. Additionally, a development specialist has an average salary of $60,344, which is higher than the $52,511 average annual salary of an economic development specialist.
The top three skills for an economic development specialist include medicaid, economic development and strong work ethic. The most important skills for a development specialist are customer service, customer satisfaction, and professional development.
| Economic Development Specialist | Development Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $52,511 | $60,344 |
| Hourly rate | $25.25 | $29.01 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 59,091 | 97,188 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An economic development specialist helps ailing and needing communities to grow and have more opportunities for its citizens. They do this by first assessing the community for its needs. They create surveys and questionnaires to help in acquiring and recording data. Through the data gathered and analyzed, together with a team of economists, they can formulate developmental plans. They also talk to social workers for help and implement the plan, monitoring for both negative and positive effects continuously. They also offer hands-on training and seminars to improve community skills further.
A development specialist is responsible for monitoring career training and programs for the employees, improving their capabilities and maximum potential to contribute to the company's growth and success. Development specialists also assist in assessing departmental operations, evaluating training needs, and facilitate skill development discussions and exercises. A development specialist helps identify business opportunities to generate more revenues for the organization and improve profitability status. A development specialist must have excellent communication and organization skills and comprehensive knowledge of human management to assist employees with their inquiries and concerns.
Economic development specialists and development specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Economic Development Specialist | Development Specialist | |
| Average salary | $52,511 | $60,344 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $82,000 | Between $37,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Edison, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between an economic development specialist and a development specialist in terms of educational background:
| Economic Development Specialist | Development Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between economic development specialists' and development specialists' demographics:
| Economic Development Specialist | Development Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5% | Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |