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The differences between budget managers and cost accounting managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a budget manager and a cost accounting manager. Additionally, a cost accounting manager has an average salary of $89,286, which is higher than the $76,243 average annual salary of a budget manager.
The top three skills for a budget manager include financial analysis, budget management and financial management. The most important skills for a cost accounting manager are variance analysis, financial analysis, and reconciliations.
| Budget Manager | Cost Accounting Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $76,243 | $89,286 |
| Hourly rate | $36.66 | $42.93 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 68,816 | 61,135 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Budget managers are financial professionals who are responsible for evaluating the financial needs of an organization by developing budget strategies to increase profitability. These managers are must observe the financial trends with the organization's expenditure while communicating budget issues with the different departments within the organization. They are required to formulate strategic business plans by analyzing previous budgets and financial developments that may impact their potential income. Budget managers must also produce expenditure reports for the upper management as well as informing department managers about the availability of funds.
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.
Budget managers and cost accounting managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Budget Manager | Cost Accounting Manager | |
| Average salary | $76,243 | $89,286 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $110,000 | Between $67,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Apple | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a budget manager and a cost accounting manager in terms of educational background:
| Budget Manager | Cost Accounting Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between budget managers' and cost accounting managers' demographics:
| Budget Manager | Cost Accounting Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.1% Female, 40.9% | Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 11% | 11% |