City controller vs finance director

The differences between city controllers and finance directors 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 a finance director. Additionally, a finance director has an average salary of $118,518, which is higher than the $110,568 average annual salary of a city controller.

The top three skills for a city controller include financial reports, payroll and balance sheet accounts. The most important skills for a finance director are CPA, financial analysis, and payroll.

City controller vs finance director overview

	City Controller	Finance Director
Yearly salary	$110,568	$118,518
Hourly rate	$53.16	$56.98
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	19,157	90,012
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

City controller vs finance director salary

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

	City Controller	Finance Director
Average salary	$110,568	$118,518
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $177,000	Between $76,000 And $183,000
Highest paying City	-	Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between city controller and finance director education

There are a few differences between a city controller and a finance director in terms of educational background:

	City Controller	Finance Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

City controller vs finance director demographics

Here are the differences between city controllers' and finance directors' demographics:

	City Controller	Finance Director
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 58.8% Female, 41.2%	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
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, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 9.4% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between city controller and finance director 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.

Finance director example responsibilities.

Manage treasury functions considering the inflationary situation and changes in economic patterns to minimize any negative impact they may involve.
Improve internal controls and operating efficiency by training accountants and converting general ledger reconciliations to GAAP formats.
Prepare financial data and footnotes for independent CPA annual audit financial statements.
Develop financial models in Hyperion to aggregate sales data and allocate expenses for profitability analysis.
Complete Sarbanes-Oxley procedural requirements for entire incentive development, administration and reporting process.
Develop an electronic billing capacity and are the first Montana health care provider to bill Medicaid electronically.

City controller vs finance director skills

Common city controller skills

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

Common finance director skills

CPA, 7%
Financial Analysis, 6%
Payroll, 4%
Work Ethic, 4%
Oversight, 4%
Financial Management, 4%