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The differences between research support specialists and market research 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 research support specialist and a market research analyst. Additionally, a market research analyst has an average salary of $51,688, which is higher than the $47,994 average annual salary of a research support specialist.
The top three skills for a research support specialist include research support, data collection and research projects. The most important skills for a market research analyst are powerpoint, data analysis, and SPSS.
| Research Support Specialist | Market Research Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $47,994 | $51,688 |
| Hourly rate | $23.07 | $24.85 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 123,353 | 71,240 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A research support specialist is primarily in charge of performing administrative support and analytical tasks. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing extensive research and analysis to gather necessary data, preparing and processing documentation on behalf of researchers, liaising with internal or external parties, troubleshooting problems, and maintaining records of all transactions. There are also instances when one must conduct studies, prepare manuscripts, develop strategies to optimize operations, and participate in implementing new research methods, all while adhering to the company or institution's policies and regulations.
A market research analyst is an individual who studies the market conditions so that he/she or she can examine the potential sales of an organization's product or service. Market research analysts are required to devise and evaluate methods for collecting data such as surveys, focus groups, and opinion polls. They must interpret the data they have collected and presented their findings to executives and clients to help them make better-informed decisions. Market research analysts are also required to create visuals of industry trends and competitors so the company can predict how it fares in the marketplace.
Research support specialists and market research analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Support Specialist | Market Research Analyst | |
| Average salary | $47,994 | $51,688 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $70,000 | Between $36,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Sandia National Labs | Imply |
| Best paying industry | Education | Technology |
There are a few differences between a research support specialist and a market research analyst in terms of educational background:
| Research Support Specialist | Market Research Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between research support specialists' and market research analysts' demographics:
| Research Support Specialist | Market Research Analyst | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% | Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 12.4% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |