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The differences between strategic planning analysts and consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a strategic planning analyst and a consultant. Additionally, a consultant has an average salary of $78,912, which is higher than the $77,834 average annual salary of a strategic planning analyst.
The top three skills for a strategic planning analyst include powerpoint, data analysis and market research. The most important skills for a consultant are customer service, strong analytical, and project management.
| Strategic Planning Analyst | Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $77,834 | $78,912 |
| Hourly rate | $37.42 | $37.94 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 58,606 | 171,733 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A strategic planning analyst specializes in developing strategies to help businesses deal with organizational issues and reach their short and long-term goals. Among their responsibilities include understanding the company's needs and goals, performing extensive research and analysis to identify client and business opportunities, setting up guidelines and timelines, gathering and analyzing data to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current operations, and developing analytical models and forecasts. Moreover, a strategic planning analyst must recommend solutions while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Consultants are individuals who were tapped by a company or an organization to work on a specific activity, depending on their field of expertise. They act as guides for the organization in undertaking projects that are related to their field. Consultants would usually assist organizations in planning, often giving advice when the need arises. They would, at times, take the lead in activities that involve data gathering and interpretation of data gathering results so that they can provide solid recommendations on actions that the organization may undertake. They may also guide the organization in implementing any changes brought about by their consultancy and in evaluating the effectiveness of the changes.
Strategic planning analysts and consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Strategic Planning Analyst | Consultant | |
| Average salary | $77,834 | $78,912 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $110,000 | Between $58,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Arlington, VA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Technology |
There are a few differences between a strategic planning analyst and a consultant in terms of educational background:
| Strategic Planning Analyst | Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between strategic planning analysts' and consultants' demographics:
| Strategic Planning Analyst | Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.5% Female, 44.5% | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.2% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 13.8% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |