Policy analyst vs adviser

The differences between policy analysts and advisers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an adviser has an average salary of $75,787, which is higher than the $66,359 average annual salary of a policy analyst.

The top three skills for a policy analyst include public policy, policy analysis and policy issues. The most important skills for an adviser are java, provide technical assistance, and workgroup.

Policy analyst vs adviser overview

	Policy Analyst	Adviser
Yearly salary	$66,359	$75,787
Hourly rate	$31.90	$36.44
Growth rate	11%	10%
Number of jobs	69,173	11,373
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	44	42
Years of experience	4	-

What does a policy analyst do?

Policy analysts are responsible for developing government policies and providing advice and briefing to senior management. These professionals work to influence both social and political decisions. They typically work in four key areas, including collecting information, analyzing policies, providing recommendations, and sharing information with government officials and the public. Additionally, they are also expected to consult with stakeholders to provide quantitative evidence supporting their policy. The rest of their time is spent on writing, reading, and analyzing information.

What does an adviser do?

An Adviser provides advice and guidance to help people make realistic choices about their education, training, and work. They can work in various locations, such as schools, colleges, and local authorities.

Policy analyst vs adviser salary

Policy analysts and advisers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Policy Analyst	Adviser
Average salary	$66,359	$75,787
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $92,000	Between $42,000 And $134,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New Jersey
Best paying company	Apple	Kirkland & Ellis
Best paying industry	Insurance	Insurance

Differences between policy analyst and adviser education

There are a few differences between a policy analyst and an adviser in terms of educational background:

	Policy Analyst	Adviser
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Political Science	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Policy analyst vs adviser demographics

Here are the differences between policy analysts' and advisers' demographics:

	Policy Analyst	Adviser
Average age	44	42
Gender ratio	Male, 46.1% Female, 53.9%	Male, 55.5% Female, 44.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 12.1% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	11%

Differences between policy analyst and adviser duties and responsibilities

Policy analyst example responsibilities.

Develop comprehensive consumer education material around the changes to behavioral health services in Medicaid manage care.
Manage all issues relate to high quality survey administration including training and approval/certification, performance oversight and data collection.
Process data using STATA statistical software to get it ready for regressions.
Develop research and programmatic reports create in SAS to be used for analysis.
Work to maintain, update, and correct SalesForce database for pertinent mailings.
Develop PowerPoint presentations on trends for use with legislature, law enforcement, and the public.

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Adviser example responsibilities.

Manage personal assets using equities and options with a long/short strategy.
Manage IEP's to document prerequisites, transfer to subsequent institutions, and financing of education costs.
Adhere to BSA & OFAC policies and procedures, and take part in annual BSA & OFAC training
Conduct legal analysis of confidential pending international corporate environmental liability litigation.
Assist students with the completion of the FAFSA.
Gather information and create PowerPoint slides for command briefings.

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Policy analyst vs adviser skills

Common policy analyst skills

Public Policy, 7%
Policy Analysis, 6%
Policy Issues, 6%
Public Health, 5%
Health Policy, 5%
PowerPoint, 4%

Common adviser skills

Java, 32%
Provide Technical Assistance, 27%
Workgroup, 12%
Outbound Calls, 4%
Chemistry, 3%
Inbound Calls, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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