Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between requirements analysts and programmer analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a requirements analyst and a programmer analyst. Additionally, a requirements analyst has an average salary of $86,493, which is higher than the $71,563 average annual salary of a programmer analyst.
The top three skills for a requirements analyst include DOD, architecture and project management. The most important skills for a programmer analyst are sql server, C++, and java.
| Requirements Analyst | Programmer Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $86,493 | $71,563 |
| Hourly rate | $41.58 | $34.41 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 112,266 | 248,781 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
To make programs and projects work, a requirements analyst must perform extensive research and analysis to identify and understand its needs. In the information technology industry, a requirements analyst is primarily in charge of gathering and analyzing feedback from clients, producing comprehensive reports, and presenting them to the software development teams. Moreover, a requirements analyst is also in charge of bridging the communication between stakeholders and information technology workforce for an efficient and smooth workflow, updating them with progress reports as needed.
A programmer analyst is responsible for monitoring database performance and software applications, performing basic troubleshooting, and improving program operations as needed. Programmer analysts' duties also include making adjustments on the system based on client's specifications, creating reports for any updates and new system procedures, designing specific technology solutions to improve the business operations, and performing necessary code adjustments. A programmer analyst must have extensive knowledge of computer systems and procedures, as well as critical-thinking skills to perform complex tasks under minimal supervision.
Requirements analysts and programmer analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Requirements Analyst | Programmer Analyst | |
| Average salary | $86,493 | $71,563 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $118,000 | Between $55,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | - | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Finance |
There are a few differences between a requirements analyst and a programmer analyst in terms of educational background:
| Requirements Analyst | Programmer Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between requirements analysts' and programmer analysts' demographics:
| Requirements Analyst | Programmer Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.7% Female, 49.3% | Male, 71.8% Female, 28.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 19.2% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |