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The differences between research consultants and research leaders 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 leader. Additionally, a research leader has an average salary of $107,345, 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 leader are data collection, data analysis, and market research.
| Research Consultant | Research Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $83,492 | $107,345 |
| Hourly rate | $40.14 | $51.61 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 61,865 | 77,051 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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 Leaders are academicians who oversee a group of researchers conducting a study. They are usually well-known researchers in their field of study or area of interest. They manage the group throughout the whole research process. They may orient them at the start of the engagement to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Research Leaders direct the group in identifying the resources needed, finding these resources, and eventually managing them. They also guide the team in conducting the research properly by providing strategic direction, sharing techniques, and helping them analyze the gathered data. With their experience in the field, Research Leaders usually provide frameworks that the team may work within.
Research consultants and research leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Consultant | Research Leader | |
| Average salary | $83,492 | $107,345 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $115,000 | Between $64,000 And $178,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Education | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a research consultant and a research leader in terms of educational background:
| Research Consultant | Research Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between research consultants' and research leaders' demographics:
| Research Consultant | Research Leader | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8% | Male, 56.4% Female, 43.6% |
| 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, 4.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |