Program analyst vs budget analyst

The differences between program analysts and budget 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 program analyst and a budget analyst. Additionally, a program analyst has an average salary of $75,039, which is higher than the $56,598 average annual salary of a budget analyst.

The top three skills for a program analyst include veterans, program management and project management. The most important skills for a budget analyst are financial management, budget analysis, and financial reports.

Program analyst vs budget analyst overview

	Program Analyst	Budget Analyst
Yearly salary	$75,039	$56,598
Hourly rate	$36.08	$27.21
Growth rate	11%	3%
Number of jobs	156,716	50,081
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does a program analyst do?

The job of program analysts is to plan, manage, and evaluate a company's computer programs. They usually perform different tasks, including researching and analyzing complex data to identify trends and offer the best recommendations for improvements. Other duties for this position may include creating policies and procedures, monitoring and evaluating program performance, and resolving any issues. This role's skills and requirements include a bachelor's degree in computer science, business, or related field. Previous work experience as a program analyst and critical thinking skills are also valued.

What does a budget analyst do?

A budget analyst supports organizations and businesses by organizing their financial resources to develop and execute budgets for them. A budget analyst is also responsible for evaluating budget proposals, analyzing data, extra funds redistribution, recommending spending cuts, preparing reports annually, and estimating spending requirements in the future. A budget analyst explores alternative funding methods and uses cost-benefit analyses. In addition, budget analysts also look at past budgets and research any financial developments that could affect income and expenditures.

Program analyst vs budget analyst salary

Program analysts and budget analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Program Analyst	Budget Analyst
Average salary	$75,039	$56,598
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $106,000	Between $42,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Maryland	Virginia
Best paying company	Apple	Shenzhen Capital Group
Best paying industry	Professional	Government

Differences between program analyst and budget analyst education

There are a few differences between a program analyst and a budget analyst in terms of educational background:

	Program Analyst	Budget Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Program analyst vs budget analyst demographics

Here are the differences between program analysts' and budget analysts' demographics:

	Program Analyst	Budget Analyst
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 45.7% Female, 54.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 13.3% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	12%	13%

Differences between program analyst and budget analyst duties and responsibilities

Program analyst example responsibilities.

Attain NIH seed money to coordinate activities to improve rates of screening for diabetic retinopathy.
Achieve an understanding of the funding policy for the NASA programs and relate it to the EVM reporting.
Manage staff of project controllers to perform monthly close, reconciliations, general ledger review and invoice generation.
Support and manage projects utilizing agile and scrum methodology.
Manage all technical documentation for PMI's certification program.
Clean up and debug code in Html, Javascript, Actionscript, and Ajax.

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Budget analyst example responsibilities.

Write and document SAS, SPSS and SQL programs to automate standard processes.
Manage accounting data of expenditures in ledgers; ensure all transactions are re-serve for obligation.
Manage virtual war room database and prepare advanced PowerPoint presentations for high-level briefings.
Manage credit card revenue reporting and reconciliations for multiple credit card merchant accounts which include recommending and implementing process improvements.
Provide corporate financial support services for multiple contracts and various contract types (FFP, CPFF, CPAF, etc . )
Prepare and present EAC projections, customer financial reports, and documents for program reviews.

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Program analyst vs budget analyst skills

Common program analyst skills

Veterans, 9%
Program Management, 7%
Project Management, 7%
Logistics, 6%
DOD, 6%
Customer Service, 4%

Common budget analyst skills

Financial Management, 8%
Budget Analysis, 6%
Financial Reports, 5%
Financial Data, 4%
PowerPoint, 4%
Budget Estimates, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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