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The differences between accountant interns and cost accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an accountant internship and a cost accountant. Additionally, a cost accountant has an average salary of $60,528, which is higher than the $33,484 average annual salary of an accountant internship.
The top three skills for an accountant internship include R, account management and powerpoint. The most important skills for a cost accountant are reconciliations, variance analysis, and GAAP.
| Accountant Internship | Cost Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $33,484 | $60,528 |
| Hourly rate | $16.10 | $29.10 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 82,924 | 39,925 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An accounting intern is responsible for assisting an organization's accounting department, observing practical applications and processes, and performing accounting duties under the supervision of tenured accounting staff. Accounting interns support the accounting operations by preparing and organizing financial reports, helping with accounts reconciliation, researching financial and stock market trends, utilizing various accounting software, and managing feedback from their mentors. An accounting intern must be detail-oriented and a fast-learner, immediately adjusting to the company's culture and actively cooperating with the team to ensure a smooth flow of operations.
A cost accountant specializes in determining the total cost incurred by a company from producing goods and services. Through the various financial data they collect, the cost accountant will devise plans and strategies that will be a vital factor in the next budget and marketing preparations of a company. Aside from this, a cost accountant is responsible for various tasks such as conducting research and analysis in different areas, keeping financial records and inventory, producing financial reports involving profitability and expenditures, and proposing a budget and other financial plans.
Accountant interns and cost accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accountant Internship | Cost Accountant | |
| Average salary | $33,484 | $60,528 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $45,000 | Between $45,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | Edison, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Novogradac | |
| Best paying industry | Media | Energy |
There are a few differences between an accountant internship and a cost accountant in terms of educational background:
| Accountant Internship | Cost Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accountant interns' and cost accountants' demographics:
| Accountant Internship | Cost Accountant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.4% Female, 53.6% | Male, 52.6% Female, 47.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 18.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |