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The differences between lead business analysts and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead business analyst has an average salary of $107,171, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a lead business analyst include project management, scrum and business analysis. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Lead Business Analyst | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $107,171 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $51.52 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 126,509 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A lead business analyst utilizes data and analytical skills to plan, develop, and implement business systems and operations to help a company attain its short and long-term goals. Their duties focus on conducting market research and assessments, gathering and analyzing data, studying consumers and competitors in the industry, and identifying the strengths and weaknesses in existing systems. They also conduct risk assessments, create business models and forecasts, and identify solutions against potential or existing issues. Additionally, through their research findings, they develop recommendations in adherence to company standards and regulations.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Lead business analysts and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Business Analyst | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $107,171 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $139,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead business analyst and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Lead Business Analyst | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between lead business analysts' and project managers' demographics:
| Lead Business Analyst | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.2% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |