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The differences between accounting managers and bookkeepers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become an accounting manager, becoming a bookkeeper takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an accounting manager has an average salary of $84,451, which is higher than the $40,337 average annual salary of a bookkeeper.
The top three skills for an accounting manager include reconciliations, CPA and GAAP. The most important skills for a bookkeeper are payroll tax returns, customer service, and reconciliations.
| Accounting Manager | Bookkeeper | |
| Yearly salary | $84,451 | $40,337 |
| Hourly rate | $40.60 | $19.39 |
| Growth rate | 17% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 92,089 | 38,481 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 46 | 51 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
An accounting manager is responsible for supervising and monitoring the overall accounting department operations. Duties of an accounting manager include reviewing account information and account statements, processing invoices, analyzing financial data, performing account reconciliations, assisting with tax processing and audit reports, and generating financial reports for presentation with the board. An accounting manager must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles and legislation to assist the team with the company's financial goals. Accounting managers must have the outstanding analytical, critical thinking, and decision-making skills to develop the best competitive financial strategies.
Bookkeepers are employees who are in charge of the company's general ledger. They are well-versed in basic accounting principles, and they apply these in their work. Bookkeepers manage the entry of items in the general ledger, assign items into their proper categories, and ensure that the entries are balanced. They also act as auditors by checking the accuracy and veracity of the receipts or vouchers in their possession before entering them into the system. Bookkeepers ensure that their files are up to date and free of errors.
Accounting managers and bookkeepers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounting Manager | Bookkeeper | |
| Average salary | $84,451 | $40,337 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $117,000 | Between $30,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | New York |
| Best paying company | Morgan Lewis | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an accounting manager and a bookkeeper in terms of educational background:
| Accounting Manager | Bookkeeper | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accounting managers' and bookkeepers' demographics:
| Accounting Manager | Bookkeeper | |
| Average age | 46 | 51 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.4% Female, 59.6% | Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 10.0% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |