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The differences between research consultants and research directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a research consultant and a research director. Additionally, a research director has an average salary of $108,875, which is higher than the $83,492 average annual salary of a research consultant.
The top three skills for a research consultant include data collection, medicaid and business development. The most important skills for a research director are research projects, data collection, and healthcare.
| Research Consultant | Research Director | |
| Yearly salary | $83,492 | $108,875 |
| Hourly rate | $40.14 | $52.34 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 61,865 | 51,298 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A research consultant is an individual who is responsible for collecting and analyzing multiple types of data across a variety of formats and present research reports for research and analytics companies, public institutions, and private businesses. Research consultants are required to design research strategies to complete the needs of research projects as well as create a basic plan of action for finding data. They may use online resources, phone surveys, and other data-collection methods to find and collect data. Research consultants must also assign investigative teams to verify and double-check the collected data.
Research Directors oversee the research initiatives of the company. They are usually deployed in the academe, research facilities, or companies with research and development departments. They set research goals aligned with the company's vision. They also ensure that all research activities are significant and would have an impact. They usually aim to complete research work that would contribute to the advancement of their field. Research Directors provide strategic direction on how to complete their research goals. They guide their team of researchers to work more efficiently and more productively. They also lead the team in networking activities.
Research consultants and research directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Consultant | Research Director | |
| Average salary | $83,492 | $108,875 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $115,000 | Between $68,000 And $171,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Education | Technology |
There are a few differences between a research consultant and a research director in terms of educational background:
| Research Consultant | Research Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between research consultants' and research directors' demographics:
| Research Consultant | Research Director | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8% | Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.0% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 12.5% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |