Data Analyst vs. Data Scientist: Explore the Differences

The article outlines how data analysts extract insights from structured data for business use, while data scientists apply advanced techniques to raw data to forecast trends and solve complex problems.

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Published on May 8, 2025

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1 Coursera Staff. (2024, Dec. 19). What’s the Difference Between a Data Analyst and a Data Scientist? Coursera. Retrieved March 24, 2025. 

2 Indeed Editorial Team. (2025, March 14). How to Become a Data Analyst (Plus Skills and Salary). Indeed. Retrieved March 24, 2025.

3 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, Aug. 29). How to Become a Data Scientist. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved March 24, 2025. 

4 Meltzer, R. (2023, April 5). These Are the Top Industries Hiring Data Analysts Right Now. Career Foundry. Retrieved March 24, 2025. 

5 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, Aug. 29). Data Scientists: Work Environment. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved March 24, 2025. 

6 The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Data Scientists as of May 2023, retrieved on March 24, 2025. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as data scientists, nor does it reflect the earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates. 

7 COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2024, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Data Scientists, retrieved on March 24, 2025.


Approved and verified accurate by the assistant dean of the College of Engineering and Technology on April 21, 2025.
 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.

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