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The differences between senior analysts and principal analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior analyst, becoming a principal analyst takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a principal analyst has an average salary of $114,156, which is higher than the $84,799 average annual salary of a senior analyst.
The top three skills for a senior analyst include analytics, data analysis and tableau. The most important skills for a principal analyst are portfolio, ERP, and project management.
| Senior Analyst | Principal Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $84,799 | $114,156 |
| Hourly rate | $40.77 | $54.88 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 159,807 | 158,160 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A senior analyst's responsibilities will vary in every organization or industry. However, their primary role is to gain an understanding of a company's strengths and weaknesses. Through this, they can devise strategies and determine new opportunities that would be significant in attaining financial gains and a more substantial client base. Furthermore, it is a senior analyst's responsibility to coordinate with various departments, and even clients, to establish a rapport that will be essential in gaining the needed information to catapult a company to its finest.
A principal analyst is responsible for evaluating the project management and product development procedures of an organization by analyzing data statistics and market trends. Principal analysts conduct operational audits to identify inconsistencies and defects, including the networks and system database. They create reports on their findings, as well as recommendations to improve optimization and maximum productivity. A principal analyst should be highly communicative and analytical as they also analyze sales reports and financial transactions to develop techniques for increasing profits and revenues.
Senior analysts and principal analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Analyst | Principal Analyst | |
| Average salary | $84,799 | $114,156 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $112,000 | Between $87,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a senior analyst and a principal analyst in terms of educational background:
| Senior Analyst | Principal Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior analysts' and principal analysts' demographics:
| Senior Analyst | Principal Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.8% Female, 38.2% | Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.3% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 8% |