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The differences between accounting consultants and cost accounting managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an accounting consultant, becoming a cost accounting manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a cost accounting manager has an average salary of $89,286, which is higher than the $62,830 average annual salary of an accounting consultant.
The top three skills for an accounting consultant include CPA, GAAP and reconciliations. The most important skills for a cost accounting manager are variance analysis, financial analysis, and reconciliations.
| Accounting Consultant | Cost Accounting Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $62,830 | $89,286 |
| Hourly rate | $30.21 | $42.93 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 74,894 | 61,135 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 8 |
An Accounting Consultant is a person tasked to assist the accounting department of a company. The consultant advises businesses concerning the accounting system used by the organization. It is also through the accounting consultant's help that improvements in the accounting process are proposed, the determination of problematic areas in the workflow, possible issues in the future, and everything that needs upgrading. The accounting consultant also helps businesses conform to legal policies set about by State and Federal legislation.
A cost accounting manager is responsible for analyzing and evaluating pricing and costing systems of the goods and services of an organization, ensuring its adherence to the internal guidelines and state regulations. Cost accounting managers review business and financial transactions to generate accounting reports for management reference. They also identify business opportunities that would provide revenue resources and profits by monitoring industry trends and public demands. A cost accounting manager must have excellent analytical skills and accounting principles knowledge, especially in resolving account and expense discrepancies.
Accounting consultants and cost accounting managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounting Consultant | Cost Accounting Manager | |
| Average salary | $62,830 | $89,286 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $86,000 | Between $67,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Jordan Company | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an accounting consultant and a cost accounting manager in terms of educational background:
| Accounting Consultant | Cost Accounting Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accounting consultants' and cost accounting managers' demographics:
| Accounting Consultant | Cost Accounting Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7% | Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.4% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 9.2% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 11% |