Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior program analysts and staff analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior program analyst, becoming a staff analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a staff analyst has an average salary of $99,158, which is higher than the $93,415 average annual salary of a senior program analyst.
The top three skills for a senior program analyst include project management, DOD and logistics. The most important skills for a staff analyst are project management, process improvement, and technical support.
| Senior Program Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $93,415 | $99,158 |
| Hourly rate | $44.91 | $47.67 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 132,578 | 174,178 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A senior program analyst specializes in developing and recommending strategies to optimize the operations of different programs in a company. They coordinate with various departments to collect and analyze data, identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing programs, perform extensive research and analysis, conduct risk assessments, determine the trends, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Moreover, as a senior program analyst, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior analysts, all while promoting the company's policies and regulations.
Staff Analysts are employees who oversee the activities related to the employees. They monitor the performance of the employees and assess whether particular employees suit the role they have. They also assess the current roles in the company to see if those roles are really needed. Staff Analysts ensure that the manpower allocation in the company is efficient. They analyze staff-related data to check whether there are more areas for improvement. Staff Analysts may also be assigned to come up with projects related to improving productivity.
Senior program analysts and staff analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Program Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Average salary | $93,415 | $99,158 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $126,000 | Between $71,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Varian Medical Systems | Bayer |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior program analyst and a staff analyst in terms of educational background:
| Senior Program Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior program analysts' and staff analysts' demographics:
| Senior Program Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.8% Female, 46.2% | Male, 47.6% Female, 52.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 12.1% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |