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The differences between functional analysts and business analyst-consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a functional analyst, becoming a business analyst-consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a functional analyst has an average salary of $96,841, which is higher than the $90,127 average annual salary of a business analyst-consultant.
The top three skills for a functional analyst include business process, lifecycle management and HR. The most important skills for a business analyst-consultant are strong analytical, business process, and data analysis.
| Functional Analyst | Business Analyst-Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $96,841 | $90,127 |
| Hourly rate | $46.56 | $43.33 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 52,085 | 166,560 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Functional analysts are professionals specializing in a specific line of business, technology, and industry. They collect information by interviewing managers and employees and studying the company's systems and procedures. They design computer systems that meet business requirements and prepare reports for the managers. Additional duties for this role include installing and configuring new systems, running tests to ensure that specifications are met, and writing user manuals. Functional analysts are also responsible for conducting training on new capabilities to existing end-users.
A business analyst-consultant is responsible for overseeing the project management and ensuring that the operations meet the agreed-upon project deliverables. Business analyst-consultants closely coordinate with the clients for their specifications and requirements, monitoring the resources and processes for the project completion, and aligning those to the clients' budget goals. A business analyst-consultant helps the development team on strategizing techniques for brand promotions with minimal costs with maximum quality and productivity. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on identifying business opportunities to drive revenues and increase profitability.
Functional analysts and business analyst-consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Functional Analyst | Business Analyst-Consultant | |
| Average salary | $96,841 | $90,127 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $131,000 | Between $66,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Mexico | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between a functional analyst and a business analyst-consultant in terms of educational background:
| Functional Analyst | Business Analyst-Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between functional analysts' and business analyst-consultants' demographics:
| Functional Analyst | Business Analyst-Consultant | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.9% Female, 44.1% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 19.5% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |