Forecasting analyst vs senior research analyst

The differences between forecasting analysts and senior research analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a forecasting analyst and a senior research analyst. Additionally, a senior research analyst has an average salary of $75,056, which is higher than the $69,708 average annual salary of a forecasting analyst.

The top three skills for a forecasting analyst include supply chain, SQL and data analysis. The most important skills for a senior research analyst are analytics, data analysis, and data collection.

Forecasting analyst vs senior research analyst overview

	Forecasting Analyst	Senior Research Analyst
Yearly salary	$69,708	$75,056
Hourly rate	$33.51	$36.08
Growth rate	19%	19%
Number of jobs	31,811	71,891
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	6	6

What does a forecasting analyst do?

A forecasting analyst is responsible for predicting a business's future production and financial condition by analyzing the company's current data statistics. Forecasting analysts evaluate the company's sales performance, inventory levels, production speed, and turnaround time of deliverables. They also study the latest industry trends, identifying business opportunities from consumer demands and interests to develop revenue resources to maintain the business' financial stability. A forecasting analyst must have excellent communication and analytical skills, especially on creating report models and finance measurement accuracy.

What does a senior research analyst do?

The duties of a senior research analyst depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments to gather necessary data, performing research and analysis to identify consumer and market needs, finding new business opportunities, and devising strategies to optimize workflow and workforce processes. Furthermore, as a senior research analyst, it is essential to lead and encourage the team members and serve as a mentor to junior analysts, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Forecasting analyst vs senior research analyst salary

Forecasting analysts and senior research analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forecasting Analyst	Senior Research Analyst
Average salary	$69,708	$75,056
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $90,000	Between $57,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Apple	JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between forecasting analyst and senior research analyst education

There are a few differences between a forecasting analyst and a senior research analyst in terms of educational background:

	Forecasting Analyst	Senior Research Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Georgia	University of Georgia

Forecasting analyst vs senior research analyst demographics

Here are the differences between forecasting analysts' and senior research analysts' demographics:

	Forecasting Analyst	Senior Research Analyst
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7%	Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.1% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between forecasting analyst and senior research analyst duties and responsibilities

Forecasting analyst example responsibilities.

Manage National/Global RFP project process by creating pricing models and coordinating pricing efforts of different ManpowerGroup brands.
Enter sales and freight information in company ERP software program.
Work with logistics to track shipments to distribution center and ensure customer delivery dates are met.
Develop and execute the POS and inventory forecasts and analysis for mass merchants and national /international sales accounts.
Create promotional, POS, & inventory reports for both domestic and international accounts and submit to company each week.
Utilize Nielsen data to create category reviews, new product presentations, and attend customer meetings to support customer category managers.

Senior research analyst example responsibilities.

Manage research department employees and resources, operational budget preparation and oversight.
Work with SAS to manipulate data and perform analysis by using macros, metadata, loops, counts and macro variables.
Develop and automate front-end data querying and reporting tools for client presentations and reports in VBA and SQL.
Conduct statistical analyses with SAS using grocery store scanner data of consumer package goods for test households throughout the U.S.
Develop and redesign SQL databases for condensation and reporting efficiency.
Analyze quantitative project data using SPSS and serve as statistical consultant for company.

Forecasting analyst vs senior research analyst skills

Common forecasting analyst skills

Supply Chain, 9%
SQL, 9%
Data Analysis, 7%
Strong Analytical, 6%
SAS, 5%
Demand Planning, 5%

Common senior research analyst skills

Analytics, 7%
Data Analysis, 6%
Data Collection, 5%
PowerPoint, 5%
Research Projects, 4%
Healthcare, 4%

Forecasting Analyst vs. similar jobs

Forecasting Analyst related careers

Forecasting Analyst related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Forecasting Analyst
Forecasting Analyst vs Senior Research Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs