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The differences between senior business analysts and lead business analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior business analyst and a lead business analyst. Additionally, a lead business analyst has an average salary of $107,171, which is higher than the $96,844 average annual salary of a senior business analyst.
The top three skills for a senior business analyst include project management, business analysis and data analysis. The most important skills for a lead business analyst are project management, scrum, and business analysis.
| Senior Business Analyst | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $96,844 | $107,171 |
| Hourly rate | $46.56 | $51.52 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 129,426 | 126,509 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Senior Business Analyst's responsibilities may vary upon the organization or company. However, most of the time, the duties will focus on overseeing a company's business operation to analyze risks and come up with strategies that would boost financial gains and company efficiency. A Senior Business Analyst will work closely with various teams while monitoring and evaluating their performance and progress, coordinate with departments, lead fellow skilled professionals, gather and analyze data, and identify opportunities. All while prioritizing customer satisfaction and adhering to the company policies and standards.
A lead business analyst utilizes data and analytical skills to plan, develop, and implement business systems and operations to help a company attain its short and long-term goals. Their duties focus on conducting market research and assessments, gathering and analyzing data, studying consumers and competitors in the industry, and identifying the strengths and weaknesses in existing systems. They also conduct risk assessments, create business models and forecasts, and identify solutions against potential or existing issues. Additionally, through their research findings, they develop recommendations in adherence to company standards and regulations.
Senior business analysts and lead business analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Business Analyst | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Average salary | $96,844 | $107,171 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $129,000 | Between $82,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior business analyst and a lead business analyst in terms of educational background:
| Senior Business Analyst | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior business analysts' and lead business analysts' demographics:
| Senior Business Analyst | Lead Business Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.0% Female, 44.0% | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.2% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |