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The differences between senior systems analysts and systems support 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 systems analyst, becoming a systems support analyst takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior systems analyst has an average salary of $82,717, which is higher than the $82,219 average annual salary of a systems support analyst.
The top three skills for a senior systems analyst include project management, java and sql server. The most important skills for a systems support analyst are troubleshoot, customer service, and database.
| Senior Systems Analyst | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $82,717 | $82,219 |
| Hourly rate | $39.77 | $39.53 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 154,569 | 161,168 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A senior systems analyst is responsible for analyzing IT systems and networks, modifying existing systems for better optimization, and designing efficient technology systems from clients' specifications and business needs. Senior systems analysts regularly inspect the performance of the system networks, ensuring its efficiency and accuracy to support daily operations. They perform troubleshooting, upgrade network infrastructures, and maintain the highest security of the database. A senior systems analyst must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry and a strong command of system languages to mitigate system complexities and improve network processes.
A systems support analyst is responsible for supporting the operations of the technology department of an organization, resolving network issues, and maintaining the safety and security of the system database. Systems support analysts must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, identifying system process improvements, upgrading system infrastructure, and assisting end-users with navigation. They also create resolution reports for reference, including recommendations to prevent future inconsistencies and glitches. A systems support analyst conducts regular maintenance checks on the technology servers and immediately performs troubleshooting as needed for optimization.
Senior systems analysts and systems support analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Systems Analyst | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Average salary | $82,717 | $82,219 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $107,000 | Between $58,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Credit Karma | Virtu Financial |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior systems analyst and a systems support analyst in terms of educational background:
| Senior Systems Analyst | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior systems analysts' and systems support analysts' demographics:
| Senior Systems Analyst | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.2% Female, 27.8% | Male, 70.4% Female, 29.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.5% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |