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The differences between supply planners and purchasing agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a supply planner and a purchasing agent. Additionally, a supply planner has an average salary of $70,602, which is higher than the $51,950 average annual salary of a purchasing agent.
The top three skills for a supply planner include supply chain, logistics and demand planning. The most important skills for a purchasing agent are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.
| Supply Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $70,602 | $51,950 |
| Hourly rate | $33.94 | $24.98 |
| Growth rate | 28% | - |
| Number of jobs | 39,798 | 45,856 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A supply planner is primarily in charge of maintaining a company's inventory of supplies, ensuring all are sufficient and efficient. Their responsibilities revolve around monitoring and counting the inventory, maintaining accurate records, reviewing receipts and other documentation, anticipating product demands, and liaising with vendors and suppliers. Should there be any supply emergencies or issues, one must visit manufacturers or suppliers. There may also be instances where one has to lift products and propose changes in the inventory processes.
A purchasing agent's general task is keeping purchase records and making sure that there won't be any discrepancies with the handling of orders. The purchasing agent should be responsible for the order processing and payment collection. Purchasing agents should also be proficient in interpreting and evaluating data, researching on best marketing sources and alternatives, issuing required documentation for suppliers, as well as managing customer queries as needed. Being a purchasing agent requires critical-thinking skills in assessing concerns and providing solutions should there be any possible negotiation conflicts.
Supply planners and purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Average salary | $70,602 | $51,950 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $101,000 | Between $37,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Meta | Abiomed |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a supply planner and a purchasing agent in terms of educational background:
| Supply Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between supply planners' and purchasing agents' demographics:
| Supply Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.2% Female, 47.8% | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 11.9% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |