Science and Research
Research Analyst
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Assists with a research program or project analysis. Works in a variety of fields within science or the social sciences, in programs based at a university or research institution, or works on government or industry sponsored research projects. Compile and analyze statistical data using modern and traditional methods to collect it.
Job Outlook
There were 115 Research Analyst job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 4327 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Researcher / Research Associate industry, which includes the Research Analyst career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Research 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 $64,743.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $61,215.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Research Analyst postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $51,351.
Education and Experience
Posted Research 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 | 7% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 55% |
| Master's Degree | 36% |
| Doctoral Degree | 2% |
| Other | 0% |
Posted Research 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 | 50% |
| 3 to 5 years | 40% |
| 6 to 8 years | 7% |
| 9+ years | 3% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Research 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 (100%)
- Communication Skills (41%)
- Microsoft Excel (32%)
- Teamwork / Collaboration (31%)
- Writing (31%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Data Analysis (15%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Data Analysis (15%)
- Project Management (12%)
- Market Research (12%)
- Data Collection (11%)
- Customer Service (9%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Data Visualization (6%)
- Research Reports (5%)
- Quantitative Research (4%)
- Qualitative Research (4%)
- Epidemiology (4%)
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 along with the marginal value: the average salary difference between postings that request that skill and those that do not.
- Policy Analysis (1%) – marginal value $3,618
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Research Analyst skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Senior Research Analyst
- Field Research Analyst
- Research Consulting Lead - Health Equity
- Research Analyst II
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.
- Research Associate
- Research Assistant
- Social Science Researcher
- Legal Researcher
- Research Technician
- Graduate Research Fellow
- Research Scientist
- Operations Analyst (General)
- Senior Operations Analyst
- Investment Operations Analyst
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Research Analyst jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Fidelity Brokerage Services (232)
- Humana (96)
- CBRE Group (89)
- Cushman & Wakefield (48)
- Huron Consulting (48)
North Carolina
- Duke University (10)
- University of North Carolina (8)
- Ihs Markit (8)
- Fidelity Brokerage Services (7)
- Tiaa (4)
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!
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 Burning Glass Technologies. For more information about how they gather data and what it represents, see Burning Glass Technologies - Frequently Asked Questions.