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The differences between principal business analysts and business 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 principal business analyst and a business process analyst. Additionally, a principal business analyst has an average salary of $115,081, which is higher than the $78,215 average annual salary of a business process analyst.
The top three skills for a principal business analyst include provide management, shared services and project management. The most important skills for a business process analyst are process improvement, project management, and subject matter experts.
| Principal Business Analyst | Business Process Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $115,081 | $78,215 |
| Hourly rate | $55.33 | $37.60 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 164,208 | 160,260 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A principal business analyst provides analytical services to recommend strategies that will optimize business operations. Among their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing data, understanding the purpose and needs of daily operations, performing market research and analysis to identify trends and opportunities, determine the strengths and weaknesses of current procedures, and develop solutions against problem areas. They must also conduct risk assessments, maintain documentation, and present findings through reports and presentations. Moreover, a principal business analyst must lead and encourage staff to reach goals while implementing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.
The business process analysts are responsible for producing, managing, and enhancing business processes to improve business performance using data. They gather, analyze, and transcribe information about internal processes to obtain a comprehensive picture of the company's internal workings. Their responsibilities include developing strategies, identifying the needs of the user, and communicating compound data in a comprehensible way. Also, they identify, implement, and assess business metrics that are essential to the end-users. Additionally, they may act as consultants to project teams providing them with recommendations for product or service improvement.
Principal business analysts and business process analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Business Analyst | Business Process Analyst | |
| Average salary | $115,081 | $78,215 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $150,000 | Between $57,000 And $106,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Mayo Clinic | |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a principal business analyst and a business process analyst in terms of educational background:
| Principal Business Analyst | Business Process Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between principal business analysts' and business process analysts' demographics:
| Principal Business Analyst | Business Process Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.8% Female, 39.2% | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 14.6% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |