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The differences between solutions analysts and 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 solutions analyst, becoming an analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a solutions analyst has an average salary of $80,370, which is higher than the $73,007 average annual salary of an analyst.
The top three skills for a solutions analyst include project management, customer service and java. The most important skills for an analyst are customer service, troubleshoot, and data analysis.
| Solutions Analyst | Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $80,370 | $73,007 |
| Hourly rate | $38.64 | $35.10 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 167,971 | 253,138 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A solutions analyst is an individual who has in-depth knowledge of a wide range of software products. You will perform various tasks that include isolating key issues, defining requirements and scope, and reviewing a few potential solutions. As a solutions analyst, you will refine the company's business objectives into business requirements and move any project ideas from design to delivery. Additional duties include working closely with stakeholders to understand the enterprise impact assessment, working across all products and channels to ensure business success, and facilitating communication between the stakeholders and the business and technology teams.
Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes. They also research industry trends and data to make sound inferences and recommendations on what the company should do to improve their numbers. Analysts recommend business solutions and often help the organization roll out these solutions. They ensure that the proposed action plans are effective and produce the desired results.
Solutions analysts and analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solutions Analyst | Analyst | |
| Average salary | $80,370 | $73,007 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $108,000 | Between $53,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a solutions analyst and an analyst in terms of educational background:
| Solutions Analyst | Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between solutions analysts' and analysts' demographics:
| Solutions Analyst | Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.1% Female, 38.9% | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.5% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |