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The differences between intelligence analysts and cyber security analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an intelligence analyst, becoming a cyber security analyst takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a cyber security analyst has an average salary of $88,422, which is higher than the $77,752 average annual salary of an intelligence analyst.
The top three skills for an intelligence analyst include government agencies, national security and ISR. The most important skills for a cyber security analyst are incident response, windows, and SIEM.
| Intelligence Analyst | Cyber Security Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $77,752 | $88,422 |
| Hourly rate | $37.38 | $42.51 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 21,390 | 64,387 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
An intelligence analyst is responsible for collecting information from various sources, including security databases, law surveillance networks, past intelligence reports, geographic and mapping tools, and communication records to locate threats and prevent crime and terrorist activities. Intelligence analysts work with different national organizations to gather information on related criminal activities and determine patterns and support investigations. An intelligence analyst must be highly critical and analytical to connect data and capture enemies to ensure the public's safety and security.
A cybersecurity analyst is responsible for planning and carrying out security measures to protect a company's computer networks and systems. They constantly keep tabs on threats and monitor their organization's networks for any security breaches. Their tasks involve installing computer programs or software and encryption, reporting breaches or weak spots, exploring new IT trends, educating the company's information security team on security. They also do simulate security attacks to find possible network and system vulnerabilities.
Intelligence analysts and cyber security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Intelligence Analyst | Cyber Security Analyst | |
| Average salary | $77,752 | $88,422 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $106,000 | Between $66,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Meta | Neighborly |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an intelligence analyst and a cyber security analyst in terms of educational background:
| Intelligence Analyst | Cyber Security Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | York College of Pennsylvania | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between intelligence analysts' and cyber security analysts' demographics:
| Intelligence Analyst | Cyber Security Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1% | Male, 78.5% Female, 21.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |