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Senior policy analyst vs data analyst

The differences between senior policy analysts and data 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 policy analyst and a data analyst. Additionally, a data analyst has an average salary of $74,342, which is higher than the $68,774 average annual salary of a senior policy analyst.

The top three skills for a senior policy analyst include public policy, policy issues and project management. The most important skills for a data analyst are data analysis, python, and power bi.

Senior policy analyst vs data analyst overview

Senior Policy AnalystData Analyst
Yearly salary$68,774$74,342
Hourly rate$33.06$35.74
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs64,894167,520
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does a senior policy analyst do?

Senior policy analysts are legal professionals who are responsible for developing government policies as well as providing advice and briefings to ministers and senior management. These analysts are required to provide detailed information about the law and public policy for both government and the private sector. They must collaborate with the business development division to research and present policies and trends related to health care. Senior policy analysts must also conduct technical assistance and training to advocacy groups and service providers.

What does a data analyst do?

Data analysts are responsible for interpreting the company's statistics and providing sound recommendations to the organization. They manage the organization's data sets, usually related to market performance, finance, or human resources. They are in charge of studying the available data, spotting trends, interpreting what the data and the trends mean, and recommending suggestions that will help the organization perform better. Their recommendations should also be relevant and backed up with strong analyses. Data analysts are expected to have a good grasp of the current market trends in the industry.

Senior policy analyst vs data analyst salary

Senior policy analysts and data analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Policy AnalystData Analyst
Average salary$68,774$74,342
Salary rangeBetween $49,000 And $95,000Between $53,000 And $103,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCRichmond, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew Jersey
Best paying companyGoogleThe Citadel
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between senior policy analyst and data analyst education

There are a few differences between a senior policy analyst and a data analyst in terms of educational background:

Senior Policy AnalystData Analyst
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorPolitical ScienceBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Senior policy analyst vs data analyst demographics

Here are the differences between senior policy analysts' and data analysts' demographics:

Senior Policy AnalystData Analyst
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 53.9% Female, 46.1%Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between senior policy analyst and data analyst duties and responsibilities

Senior policy analyst example responsibilities.

  • Lead and manage junior staff collecting quantitative and qualitative data on health outcomes among Medicare and Medicaid dual eligible populations.
  • Lead a cross-team project to deliver state fact sheets highlighting the importance of social security and Medicare.
  • Manage all issues relate to high quality survey administration including training and approval/certification, performance oversight and data collection.
  • Conduct detailed reviews of DOD CI/HUMINT doctrine, strategies and policies.
  • Present analysis to the CMS via public comments, legal memorandums, and in person presentations.
  • Propose changing the TSA MD 2810.1and eventually the DHS MD 11056.1 to reflect these legal concerns.
  • Show more

Data analyst example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient s data in UNIX system.
  • Manage loan performance in Hyperion Financials using SQL and PL/SQL tools.
  • Manage and contribute to EDI processes ensuring HIPAA compliance and access to clearing house review on individual case status.
  • Develop Java application to automate reformatting of text files for an internal application.
  • Execute deterministic modeling and Monte Carlo simulations in MATLAB to achieve greater mathematical confidence in results obtain from analysis.
  • Manage weapon system project websites via SharePoint, including troubleshooting technical issues and developing guidelines for public/private information and user permissions.
  • Show more

Senior policy analyst vs data analyst skills

Common senior policy analyst skills
  • Public Policy, 7%
  • Policy Issues, 7%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Policy Analysis, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Public Health, 5%
Common data analyst skills
  • Data Analysis, 10%
  • Python, 7%
  • Power Bi, 6%
  • Data Management, 6%
  • Visualization, 5%
  • Data Quality, 4%

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