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The differences between intelligence research specialists and competitive intelligence analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an intelligence research specialist and a competitive intelligence analyst. Additionally, an intelligence research specialist has an average salary of $102,643, which is higher than the $70,693 average annual salary of a competitive intelligence analyst.
The top three skills for an intelligence research specialist include artificial intelligence, intelligence community and national security. The most important skills for a competitive intelligence analyst are pricing strategy, market research, and powerpoint.
| Intelligence Research Specialist | Competitive Intelligence Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $102,643 | $70,693 |
| Hourly rate | $49.35 | $33.99 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 58,851 | 12,571 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Intelligence research specialists are professionals who work in government agencies and large companies to monitor and assess the transfer of inappropriate communication. These specialists must produce high-quality field intelligence reports and distribute information to the appropriate law enforcement, regulatory, and intelligence community. They must disseminate warnings and threat analysis to the organization's executive and senior management on actionable intelligence contingencies. Intelligence research specialists must also maintain a database for research and exploitation as well as perform maintenance on their hardware and software applications.
A competitive intelligence analyst specializes in recommending solutions to optimize a company's sales performance and business plans. They conduct extensive research and analysis to identify market trends, new business opportunities, client needs, and competitor strategies. Using their research findings, they produce and recommend new business plans and policies to help companies reach their short and long-term goals. Furthermore, as a competitive intelligence analyst, it is essential to develop solutions and suggest actions while adhering to the company's standards and regulations.
Intelligence research specialists and competitive intelligence analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Intelligence Research Specialist | Competitive Intelligence Analyst | |
| Average salary | $102,643 | $70,693 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $153,000 | Between $51,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Xoom |
| Best paying industry | Government | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between an intelligence research specialist and a competitive intelligence analyst in terms of educational background:
| Intelligence Research Specialist | Competitive Intelligence Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Business |
| Most common college | The Citadel | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between intelligence research specialists' and competitive intelligence analysts' demographics:
| Intelligence Research Specialist | Competitive Intelligence Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.2% Female, 35.8% | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 2.9% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 2.9% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |