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The differences between help desk analysts and support analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a help desk analyst and a support analyst. Additionally, a support analyst has an average salary of $75,989, which is higher than the $37,318 average annual salary of a help desk analyst.
The top three skills for a help desk analyst include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a support analyst are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Help Desk Analyst | Support Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $37,318 | $75,989 |
| Hourly rate | $17.94 | $36.53 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 87,591 | 107,039 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Help Desk Analysts generally provide technical support by assisting customers with their system issues. These analysts are expected to be highly knowledgeable about application processes and basic troubleshooting. Help Desk Analysts usually communicate with end-users through phone calls or e-mail and are required to attend on customers technical issues promptly. Depending on the expertise, the Help Desk Analysts are often categorized to support levels wherein the most complex issues are often handle by the highest tier. The Help Desk Analysts must have critical-thinking skills on solving network problems and document specific concerns and progress.
The role of support analysts is to resolve problems with hardware, computer programs, and peripherals. They may focus on a particular aspect of the information technology (IT) department or give technical support to end-users. They mainly detect issues with IT equipment and software and devise solutions to resolve these issues. Also, they are responsible for answering queries from users, preparing service records, and handling escalations. Support analysts also support the company's IT operations and best practices by creating and distributing relevant IT documents.
Help desk analysts and support analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Analyst | Support Analyst | |
| Average salary | $37,318 | $75,989 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $52,000 | Between $50,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between a help desk analyst and a support analyst in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Analyst | Support Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk analysts' and support analysts' demographics:
| Help Desk Analyst | Support Analyst | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.8% Female, 28.2% | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 11.1% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 12.9% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |