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The differences between policy analysts and planning 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 policy analyst and a planning analyst. Additionally, a planning analyst has an average salary of $68,137, 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 a planning analyst are project management, customer service, and data analysis.
| Policy Analyst | Planning Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $66,359 | $68,137 |
| Hourly rate | $31.90 | $32.76 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 69,173 | 92,380 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
As a planning analyst, you will be responsible for designing and implementing a company's business and marketing strategies with the goal of driving profits and reducing costs. You will propose measures to enhance an organization's overall efficiency, and guide managers on ways to strengthen profit margins through risk awareness reduced costs, and increased revenues. Other duties include conducting risk analyses to identify areas of potential failure, maintaining the business continuity program, and handling internal and external corporate communications with the investment community and industry analysts.
Policy analysts and planning analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Policy Analyst | Planning Analyst | |
| Average salary | $66,359 | $68,137 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $92,000 | Between $49,000 And $93,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a policy analyst and a planning analyst in terms of educational background:
| Policy Analyst | Planning Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Political Science | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between policy analysts' and planning analysts' demographics:
| Policy Analyst | Planning Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.1% Female, 53.9% | Male, 53.4% Female, 46.6% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |