Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between solutions 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 solutions 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 $80,370 average annual salary of a solutions analyst.
The top three skills for a solutions analyst include project management, customer service and java. The most important skills for a staff analyst are project management, process improvement, and technical support.
| Solutions Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $80,370 | $99,158 |
| Hourly rate | $38.64 | $47.67 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 167,971 | 174,178 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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.
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.
Solutions analysts and staff analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solutions Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Average salary | $80,370 | $99,158 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $108,000 | Between $71,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Bayer |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a solutions analyst and a staff analyst in terms of educational background:
| Solutions Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between solutions analysts' and staff analysts' demographics:
| Solutions Analyst | Staff Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.1% Female, 38.9% | Male, 47.6% Female, 52.4% |
| 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, 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% |