Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between cost analysts and senior accountant analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cost analyst and a senior accountant analyst. Additionally, a senior accountant analyst has an average salary of $75,282, which is higher than the $54,158 average annual salary of a cost analyst.
The top three skills for a cost analyst include cost analysis, financial analysis and cost estimates. The most important skills for a senior accountant analyst are reconciliations, external auditors, and account reconciliations.
| Cost Analyst | Senior Accountant Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $54,158 | $75,282 |
| Hourly rate | $26.04 | $36.19 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 60,034 | 82,010 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Cost Analysts are employees with a strong background in finance or accounting. They are in charge of collecting financial data and analyzing the entries. They study the company's expenses and prepare pertinent reports. Cost Analysts look for inconsistencies in the financial data. This way, they can assist in auditing the company's spending. Cost Analysts also look for inefficiencies. They do so by tracking item costs and department budgets and monitoring department expenses. They are also involved in budget-setting activities.
As a senior accountant analyst, your main role is to provide professional guidance to a company. You need to have excellent preparation skills to create financial reports that clearly state the expenses and forecast the company's financial future. You should always aim for accuracy and compliance. Moreover, as a senior accountant analyst, you are supposed to give general operational assistance to the company's management.
Cost analysts and senior accountant analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cost Analyst | Senior Accountant Analyst | |
| Average salary | $54,158 | $75,282 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $73,000 | Between $58,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Washington |
| Best paying company | General Motors | BMO Capital Markets |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Finance |
There are a few differences between a cost analyst and a senior accountant analyst in terms of educational background:
| Cost Analyst | Senior Accountant Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between cost analysts' and senior accountant analysts' demographics:
| Cost Analyst | Senior Accountant Analyst | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8% | Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 8.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 14.1% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 7% |