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The differences between lead business analysts and staff analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a lead business analyst and a staff analyst. Additionally, a lead business analyst has an average salary of $107,171, which is higher than the $99,158 average annual salary of a staff analyst.
The top three skills for a lead business analyst include project management, scrum and business analysis. The most important skills for a staff analyst are project management, process improvement, and technical support.
| Lead Business Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $107,171 | $99,158 |
| Hourly rate | $51.52 | $47.67 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 126,509 | 174,178 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 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.
Staff Analysts are employees who oversee the activities related to the employees. They monitor the performance of the employees and assess whether particular employees suit the role they have. They also assess the current roles in the company to see if those roles are really needed. Staff Analysts ensure that the manpower allocation in the company is efficient. They analyze staff-related data to check whether there are more areas for improvement. Staff Analysts may also be assigned to come up with projects related to improving productivity.
Lead business analysts and staff analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Business Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Average salary | $107,171 | $99,158 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $139,000 | Between $71,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Citi | Bayer |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead business analyst and a staff analyst in terms of educational background:
| Lead Business Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between lead business analysts' and staff analysts' demographics:
| Lead Business Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% | Male, 47.6% Female, 52.4% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 12.1% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |