Policy analyst vs policy advisor

The differences between policy analysts and policy advisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a policy advisor has an average salary of $98,220, 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 policy advisor are public policy, policy issues, and policy development.

Policy analyst vs policy advisor overview

	Policy Analyst	Policy Advisor
Yearly salary	$66,359	$98,220
Hourly rate	$31.90	$47.22
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	69,173	39,659
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	44	44
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 a policy advisor do?

Policy advisors are professionals who are involved in activities related to policymaking while communicating with policy analysts about various issues. These advisors must assist policy analysts in creating policies and look at ways to implement them after they have been approved by upper management or government officials. They must analyze international and foreign policy issues so that they can devise effective advocacy and program strategies. Policy advisors must also attend congressional hearings to propose regulations and changes to existing regulations.

Policy analyst vs policy advisor salary

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

	Policy Analyst	Policy Advisor
Average salary	$66,359	$98,220
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $92,000	Between $67,000 And $141,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Apple	NAIC
Best paying industry	Insurance	Government

Differences between policy analyst and policy advisor education

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

	Policy Analyst	Policy Advisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Political Science	Political Science
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Southern California

Policy analyst vs policy advisor demographics

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

	Policy Analyst	Policy Advisor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 46.1% Female, 53.9%	Male, 59.7% Female, 40.3%
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, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	12%	11%

Differences between policy analyst and policy advisor 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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Policy advisor example responsibilities.

Manage all issues relate to high quality survey administration including training and approval/certification, performance oversight and data collection.
Work over the phone troubleshooting wireless devices, mobile and computers including windows and macs.
Facilitate and participate in departmental policy meetings concerning healthcare, Medicaid, social services, telemedicine, grant opportunities and budgeting.
Construct business system infrastructure providing the pathway to grow executive, mid-management, and customer facing staff for management consulting firm.
Serve as a principle author and key personnel on the successful $25 million DHS contract proposal.
Provide technical advice on Medicare including, payment and reimbursement models, and statutory requirements.

Policy analyst vs policy advisor skills

Common policy analyst skills

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

Common policy advisor skills

Public Policy, 10%
Policy Issues, 8%
Policy Development, 8%
Policy Recommendations, 5%
Policy Analysis, 4%
Government Officials, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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