Cost accounting clerk vs accounting clerk

The differences between cost accounting clerks and accounting clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a cost accounting clerk and an accounting clerk. Additionally, an accounting clerk has an average salary of $38,683, which is higher than the $38,272 average annual salary of a cost accounting clerk.

The top three skills for a cost accounting clerk include data entry, payroll and purchase orders. The most important skills for an accounting clerk are data entry, customer service, and purchase orders.

Cost accounting clerk vs accounting clerk overview

	Cost Accounting Clerk	Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$38,272	$38,683
Hourly rate	$18.40	$18.60
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	84,470	106,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

Cost accounting clerk vs accounting clerk salary

Cost accounting clerks and accounting clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cost Accounting Clerk	Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$38,272	$38,683
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $52,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between cost accounting clerk and accounting clerk education

There are a few differences between a cost accounting clerk and an accounting clerk in terms of educational background:

	Cost Accounting Clerk	Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Cost accounting clerk vs accounting clerk demographics

Here are the differences between cost accounting clerks' and accounting clerks' demographics:

	Cost Accounting Clerk	Accounting Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between cost accounting clerk and accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Cost accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage financial department with responsibility for payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Review and reconcile WIP reports.
Update inventory and run current inventory list.
Research and follow up on work in process (WIP) report monthly.
Enter cost variance when a BOM or routings or their standard/per how change.

Accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Perform balance sheet reconciliations and resolve open items by notifying employees and vendors of transaction discrepancies.
Assist in monthly financial close process by analyzing preliminary departmental expense reports and making necessary adjustments and accruals.
Develop a spreadsheet that pulls all data relate to project hours by operation from the ERP system.
Process all incoming payments receive via ACH, EFT, or the web; ensure accounts are accurately balance and reconcile.
Digitize proof of delivery receipts into ERP system (AS400) serving as an easy backup for employees to verify occurrence.

Cost accounting clerk vs accounting clerk skills

Common cost accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 16%
Payroll, 12%
Purchase Orders, 11%
Financial Reports, 11%
General Ledger, 5%
Variance Analysis, 5%

Common accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 15%
Customer Service, 10%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Reconciliations, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
QuickBooks, 3%

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Cost Accounting Clerk
Cost Accounting Clerk vs Accounting Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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