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The differences between principal analysts and analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a principal analyst, becoming an analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a principal analyst has an average salary of $114,156, which is higher than the $73,007 average annual salary of an analyst.
The top three skills for a principal analyst include portfolio, ERP and project management. The most important skills for an analyst are customer service, troubleshoot, and data analysis.
| Principal Analyst | Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $114,156 | $73,007 |
| Hourly rate | $54.88 | $35.10 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 158,160 | 253,138 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A principal analyst is responsible for evaluating the project management and product development procedures of an organization by analyzing data statistics and market trends. Principal analysts conduct operational audits to identify inconsistencies and defects, including the networks and system database. They create reports on their findings, as well as recommendations to improve optimization and maximum productivity. A principal analyst should be highly communicative and analytical as they also analyze sales reports and financial transactions to develop techniques for increasing profits and revenues.
Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes. They also research industry trends and data to make sound inferences and recommendations on what the company should do to improve their numbers. Analysts recommend business solutions and often help the organization roll out these solutions. They ensure that the proposed action plans are effective and produce the desired results.
Principal analysts and analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Analyst | Analyst | |
| Average salary | $114,156 | $73,007 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $149,000 | Between $53,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Technology |
There are a few differences between a principal analyst and an analyst in terms of educational background:
| Principal Analyst | Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between principal analysts' and analysts' demographics:
| Principal Analyst | Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4% | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |