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The differences between subject matter experts and data analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a subject matter expert and a data analyst. Additionally, a subject matter expert has an average salary of $103,749, which is higher than the $74,342 average annual salary of a data analyst.
The top three skills for a subject matter expert include SME, project management and DOD. The most important skills for a data analyst are data analysis, python, and power bi.
| Subject Matter Expert | Data Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $103,749 | $74,342 |
| Hourly rate | $49.88 | $35.74 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 58,235 | 167,520 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A subject matter expert is someone who has special knowledge and expertise about a specific process or service, providing advice to other team members or directly assisting customers with their inquiries and concerns. Subject matter experts coordinate on planning strategic procedures to improve the work processes and ensure customer satisfaction. They are also active in participating in learning programs and training sessions to share their knowledge and best practices for their specialization. Subject matter experts identify potential business opportunities to generate more revenues for the business and achieve its profitability goals.
Data analysts are responsible for interpreting the company's statistics and providing sound recommendations to the organization. They manage the organization's data sets, usually related to market performance, finance, or human resources. They are in charge of studying the available data, spotting trends, interpreting what the data and the trends mean, and recommending suggestions that will help the organization perform better. Their recommendations should also be relevant and backed up with strong analyses. Data analysts are expected to have a good grasp of the current market trends in the industry.
Subject matter experts and data analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Subject Matter Expert | Data Analyst | |
| Average salary | $103,749 | $74,342 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $146,000 | Between $53,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Apple | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between a subject matter expert and a data analyst in terms of educational background:
| Subject Matter Expert | Data Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between subject matter experts' and data analysts' demographics:
| Subject Matter Expert | Data Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% | Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 12.1% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |