Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between systems analysts and data 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 systems analyst, becoming a data analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a systems analyst has an average salary of $75,383, which is higher than the $74,342 average annual salary of a data analyst.
The top three skills for a systems analyst include customer service, project management and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a data analyst are data analysis, python, and power bi.
| Systems Analyst | Data Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $75,383 | $74,342 |
| Hourly rate | $36.24 | $35.74 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 141,289 | 167,520 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A systems analyst is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of technology systems and analyzing its efficiency for business operations and clients' needs. Systems analysts create specific modifications to operating systems and help design solutions and processes. Other tasks include managing the system's workflow, diagnosing and detecting malfunctions, performing troubleshooting, and assisting clients' with their concerns. A systems analyst must have excellent command with programming languages and the knowledge with the technology industry to understand systems' complexities and processes.
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.
Systems analysts and data analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Analyst | Data Analyst | |
| Average salary | $75,383 | $74,342 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $96,000 | Between $53,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a systems analyst and a data analyst in terms of educational background:
| Systems Analyst | Data Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between systems analysts' and data analysts' demographics:
| Systems Analyst | Data Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.3% 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 | 8% | 12% |