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The differences between planner/buyers and demand planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a planner/buyer and a demand planner. Additionally, a demand planner has an average salary of $82,287, which is higher than the $54,261 average annual salary of a planner/buyer.
The top three skills for a planner/buyer include supply chain, purchase orders and customer service. The most important skills for a demand planner are supply chain, customer service, and logistics.
| Planner/Buyer | Demand Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $54,261 | $82,287 |
| Hourly rate | $26.09 | $39.56 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 33,452 | 27,351 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The role of buyers/planners is to ensure that office materials and equipment are well-supplied within their organization. They decide and purchase the materials needed for use or resale by their organization. They are responsible for evaluating prospective suppliers based on their cost, product quality, and delivery times. They are also the ones who negotiate contracts specifying the payment terms, price, and delivery schedules. Most employers prefer their buyer to have earned a bachelor's degree with a major in operations management or business management.
A demand planner specializes in conducting research and analysis to develop forecast models that will help determine a supply chain's demands. They are also responsible for monitoring the inventory of products, maintaining knowledge and awareness on the latest trends, producing progress reports and presentations, establishing demand plans, and detecting any changes in the forecast, reporting them to management right away. Furthermore, as a demand planner, it is essential to coordinate with everyone in the team, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.
Planner/buyers and demand planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planner/Buyer | Demand Planner | |
| Average salary | $54,261 | $82,287 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $77,000 | Between $61,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Billerica, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a planner/buyer and a demand planner in terms of educational background:
| Planner/Buyer | Demand Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between planner/buyers' and demand planners' demographics:
| Planner/Buyer | Demand Planner | |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% | Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 11.1% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 9% |