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Political consultant vs lobbyist

The differences between political consultants and lobbyists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a political consultant, becoming a lobbyist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a political consultant has an average salary of $55,657, which is higher than the $45,609 average annual salary of a lobbyist.

The top three skills for a political consultant include political campaigns, campaign strategies and press releases. The most important skills for a lobbyist are public policy, government relations, and state government.

Political consultant vs lobbyist overview

Political ConsultantLobbyist
Yearly salary$55,657$45,609
Hourly rate$26.76$21.93
Growth rate6%8%
Number of jobs5,001128
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4142
Years of experience124

Political consultant vs lobbyist salary

Political consultants and lobbyists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Political ConsultantLobbyist
Average salary$55,657$45,609
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $103,000Between $26,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between political consultant and lobbyist education

There are a few differences between a political consultant and a lobbyist in terms of educational background:

Political ConsultantLobbyist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorPolitical SciencePolitical Science
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Political consultant vs lobbyist demographics

Here are the differences between political consultants' and lobbyists' demographics:

Political ConsultantLobbyist
Average age4142
Gender ratioMale, 69.7% Female, 30.3%Male, 51.6% Female, 48.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 6.9% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage11%12%

Differences between political consultant and lobbyist duties and responsibilities

Political consultant example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage the campaigns website, Facebook, and other social media networking activities.
  • Assist in successful GOTV efforts during the primary.
  • Have designed campaign materials and advertising, direct volunteer efforts and GOTV programs.
  • Collaborate with individuals from the U.S. Embassy, foreign militaries, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
  • Aid in responses to press queries, produce press clips for the entire campaign, create media book.
  • Provide translation and interpretation for UK base members of staff.
  • Show more

Lobbyist example responsibilities.

  • Secure support for the Centene brand as a Medicaid manage care organization amongst healthcare providers and members of the advocacy community.
  • Preserve dietitian services as a require``condition of participation"for Medicare hospitals.
  • Advocate on Medicare reimbursement, research funding, dietary supplements and professional education issues.
  • Conduct analysis of international climate change implications and participate in the selection of tools for government agencies to monitor climate change.
  • Verify and update exiting editorial content and write new editorial for revise statutes.

Political consultant vs lobbyist skills

Common political consultant skills
  • Political Campaigns, 27%
  • Campaign Strategies, 12%
  • Press Releases, 12%
  • Campaign Events, 6%
  • Event Planning, 4%
  • Campaign Management, 3%
Common lobbyist skills
  • Public Policy, 26%
  • Government Relations, 19%
  • State Government, 10%
  • Grassroots, 5%
  • State Legislators, 3%
  • Legislative Process, 3%

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