Policy analyst vs process analyst

The differences between policy analysts and process 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 process analyst. Additionally, a process analyst has an average salary of $73,233, 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 process analyst are process improvement, project management, and customer service.

Policy analyst vs process analyst overview

	Policy Analyst	Process Analyst
Yearly salary	$66,359	$73,233
Hourly rate	$31.90	$35.21
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	69,173	123,238
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	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 process analyst do?

A process analyst is also known as an operations research analyst, who evaluates in detail the steps in producing products and making important decisions as well as providing recommendations on how to enhance them. They are IT specialists that analyze the business process and workflows to determine how they can be computerized and improved. Responsibilities include identifying problems and risks as well as engaging in problem resolution. Important skills to consider for applicants include being innovative thinkers and goal-oriented.

Policy analyst vs process analyst salary

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

	Policy Analyst	Process Analyst
Average salary	$66,359	$73,233
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $92,000	Between $49,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Connecticut
Best paying company	Apple	Apple
Best paying industry	Insurance	Finance

Differences between policy analyst and process analyst education

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

	Policy Analyst	Process Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Political Science	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Policy analyst vs process analyst demographics

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

	Policy Analyst	Process Analyst
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 46.1% Female, 53.9%	Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2%
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, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 12.2% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between policy analyst and process analyst 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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Process analyst example responsibilities.

Lead the development and implementation of application and infrastructure solutions that are stable, operationally healthy, and supportable in production.
Develop and manage department SharePoint site to use as a collaborative document management tool.
Collaborate with project manager in tracking and managing project development process following RUP base SDLC methodologies.
Used Visio for process mapping to review operational procedures when determining areas of improvement.
Look at Java code to help debug it.
Test CRM platform through complex use of matrices to be able to segment a database for a more applicable personal contact.

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Policy analyst vs process analyst skills

Common policy analyst skills

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

Common process analyst skills

Process Improvement, 9%
Project Management, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 5%
Sigma, 4%
Business Processes, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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