City controller vs assistant controller

The differences between city controllers and assistant controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a city controller and an assistant controller. Additionally, a city controller has an average salary of $110,568, which is higher than the $91,447 average annual salary of an assistant controller.

The top three skills for a city controller include financial reports, payroll and balance sheet accounts. The most important skills for an assistant controller are reconciliations, CPA, and GAAP.

City controller vs assistant controller overview

	City Controller	Assistant Controller
Yearly salary	$110,568	$91,447
Hourly rate	$53.16	$43.96
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	19,157	58,643
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

City controller vs assistant controller salary

City controllers and assistant controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	City Controller	Assistant Controller
Average salary	$110,568	$91,447
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $177,000	Between $63,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City	-	Stamford, CT
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	Cloudflare
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between city controller and assistant controller education

There are a few differences between a city controller and an assistant controller in terms of educational background:

	City Controller	Assistant Controller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

City controller vs assistant controller demographics

Here are the differences between city controllers' and assistant controllers' demographics:

	City Controller	Assistant Controller
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 58.8% Female, 41.2%	Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 9.1% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between city controller and assistant controller duties and responsibilities

City controller example responsibilities.

Manage accounting systems configuration and improvement, external auditor communication and requirements, regulatory compliance and SOX controls review.
Manage accounting systems configuration and improvement, external auditor communication and requirements, regulatory compliance and SOX controls review.
Create custom reports in ADP for accounting department analysis and distribution to management.

Assistant controller example responsibilities.

Lead divisional capital management through ROI analysis on new products and other capital investments to maximize returns.
Facilitate the implementation of ERP system, which increase productivity in efficiently and effectively manage the functionality of the organization.
Initiate ongoing departmental projects to automate daily tasks which include the calculations for income distributions and the daily income account reconciliation.
Maintain timely and accurate general ledger account reconciliations, oversee treasury management, and handle fixed asset tracking and reporting.
Direct balance sheet and inter-company reconciliations according to GAAP and ensure compliance across accounting, payroll, and inventory management systems.
Oversee corporate financial internal controls including a complete re-write of all standard operating procedure documentation and supporting annual SOX audit work.

City controller vs assistant controller skills

Common city controller skills

Financial Reports, 41%
Payroll, 30%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 12%
Financial Operations, 8%
Firsthand Knowledge, 4%
Press Releases, 3%

Common assistant controller skills

Reconciliations, 9%
CPA, 8%
GAAP, 7%
Internal Controls, 5%
Payroll Processing, 5%
External Auditors, 5%

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Executive Management Industry
City Controller
City Controller vs Assistant Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

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