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 119 Policy Analyst job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 6903 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 $137,477.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $129,408.
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 $118,853.
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 | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 58.21% |
| Master's Degree | 36.74% |
| Doctoral Degree | 10.39% |
| Other | 8.2% |
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 | 22.36% |
| 3 to 5 years | 42.8% |
| 6 to 8 years | 18.34% |
| 9+ years | 16.5% |
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 (57.02%)
- Communication (52.43%)
- Writing (42.26%)
- Management (32.77%)
- Leadership (28.58%)
- Coordinating (26.28%)
- Planning (24.97%)
- Presentations (22.69%)
- Operations (21.93%)
- Detail Oriented (19.75%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Policy Development (25.63%)
- Policy Analysis (39.71%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Auditing (12.48%)
- Cyber Security (11.04%)
- Economics (17.3%)
- Finance (10.43%)
- Data Analysis (17.78%)
- Public Policies (35.75%)
- Project Management (23.9%)
- Stakeholder Engagement (5.43%)
- Legislation (5.05%)
- Political Sciences (17.57%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Policy Recommendations (5.82%)
- Policy Research (12.31%)
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 (100%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Policy Analyst skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Policy Advisor
- Cybersecurity Analyst
- Policy Specialist
- Policy Associate
- Policy Manager
- Policy Fellow
- Project Policy Analyst
- Operations and Policy Analyst
- Program and Policy Analyst
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 (199)
- University of California (194)
- Cadmus International Limited (85)
- Ford (83)
- The Nature Conservancy (79)
- RAND Corporation (74)
- SAIC (58)
- Booz Allen Hamilton (57)
- State of Washington (52)
- Relx (52)
North Carolina
- Duke University (10)
- State of North Carolina (6)
- Crc Insurance Services (5)
- Labcorp (5)
- Novant Health (4)
- Royal Bank of Canada (4)
- NC Farm Bureau Fed For NC Farm Bureau Mut Ins Co (4)
- Crc International Limited (3)
- Crc Group (3)
- The Nature Conservancy (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.