Policy Analyst
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Policy Analyst provides expertise on government policy in a particular area. Gathers background information on issues and tracks legislative initiatives. Works with or advises elected officials, non-profit organizations on interest groups involved with the legislative process.
Job Outlook
There were 128 Policy Analyst job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 16876 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Policy Analyst industry, which includes the Policy Analyst career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Policy Analyst jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $82,000.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $89,426.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Policy Analyst postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $53,068.
Education and Experience
Posted Policy Analyst jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 2.91% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 25.81% |
| Master's Degree | 15.19% |
| Doctoral Degree | 5.01% |
| Other | 4.15% |
Posted Policy Analyst jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 24.86% |
| 3 to 5 years | 42.11% |
| 6 to 8 years | 16.57% |
| 9+ years | 16.46% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Policy Analyst positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Research (24.94%)
- Communication (21.02%)
- Writing (15.74%)
- Management (13.35%)
- Coordinating (10.89%)
- Leadership (10.78%)
- Planning (10.36%)
- Advocacy (9.13%)
- Operations (9.07%)
- Presentations (8.98%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Public Policies (34.24%)
- Policy Research (12.35%)
- Policy Analysis (41.39%)
- Policy Development (23.06%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Political Sciences (15.15%)
- Data Analysis (16.63%)
- Legislation (5.23%)
- Project Management (21.73%)
- Stakeholder Engagement (6.41%)
- Auditing (13.87%)
- Economics (15.74%)
- Cyber Security (13.51%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Policy Recommendations (7.05%)
- Policy Proposal (3.58%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Policy Recommendations (72.73%)
- Policy Proposal (36.9%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Policy Analyst skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Cybersecurity Analyst
- Policy Advisor
- Policy Specialist
- Policy Associate
- Project Policy Analyst
- Policy Fellow
- Policy Manager
- Policy Coordinator
- Program and Policy Analyst
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Policy Analyst jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Northrop Grumman (235)
- University of California (210)
- State of Massachusetts (189)
- Harvard University (143)
- Mass General Brigham (121)
- University of Massachusetts (116)
- Pearson Education (110)
- Northeastern University (77)
- Beth Israel Lahey Health (69)
- SAIC (67)
North Carolina
- Duke University (7)
- State of North Carolina (7)
- Wells Fargo (6)
- Crc Insurance Services (5)
- University of North Carolina (4)
- North State Acceptance (4)
- CommScope (3)
- TRC Staffing (3)
- First Citizens Bank (3)
- Labcorp Drug Development (3)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
- Agricultural and Extension Education Graduate Certificates
- Agricultural Education and Human Sciences Master's Degrees
- Agricultural Leadership Undergraduate Certificates
- Climate Adaptation Graduate Certificates
- Education for Agricultural Professionals Teacher Licensure
- Leadership in Agriculture and Human Sciences Graduate Certificates
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.