Cost controller vs cost analyst

The differences between cost controllers and cost 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 controller and a cost analyst. Additionally, a cost controller has an average salary of $76,697, which is higher than the $54,158 average annual salary of a cost analyst.

The top three skills for a cost controller include project management, cost analysis and financial statements. The most important skills for a cost analyst are cost analysis, financial analysis, and cost estimates.

Cost controller vs cost analyst overview

	Cost Controller	Cost Analyst
Yearly salary	$76,697	$54,158
Hourly rate	$36.87	$26.04
Growth rate	6%	3%
Number of jobs	17,477	60,034
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does a cost controller do?

A Cost Controller manages the project costs. Cost Controllers' tasks include developing, controlling, planning, and forecasting the project's budget. They make sure that projects are completed within the approved budget and minimize the deflection from it. Cost Controllers should know about total cost management concepts, budget distribution, and setting a cost limit. They should also know how to detect issues, analyze cost reports, and value management. Being a cost controller also requires skills to effectively communicate the project's cost performance, concerns, and recovery plans to the project team.

What does a cost analyst do?

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.

Cost controller vs cost analyst salary

Cost controllers and cost analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cost Controller	Cost Analyst
Average salary	$76,697	$54,158
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $114,000	Between $39,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Sunnyvale, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Virginia
Best paying company	NOVA Chemicals	General Motors
Best paying industry	Energy	Automotive

Differences between cost controller and cost analyst education

There are a few differences between a cost controller and a cost analyst in terms of educational background:

	Cost Controller	Cost Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Cost controller vs cost analyst demographics

Here are the differences between cost controllers' and cost analysts' demographics:

	Cost Controller	Cost Analyst
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%	Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 13.4% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	7%	13%

Differences between cost controller and cost analyst duties and responsibilities

Cost controller example responsibilities.

Improve project process by developing and implementing cost structure, then manage job-specific code of accounts for WBS approvals.
Manage treasury, open several new accounts, establish new procedures and controls, monitor daily activity.
Prepare monthly write-ups reports for the cost performance and EAC forecast
Identify wrongly charge WBS in order to control the budget release under each WBS element.
Facilitate capital project team's operating expense budgets, forecast, variance comments, accruals, and reporting.
Analyze purchase order commitment to calculate accruals.

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Cost analyst example responsibilities.

Manage general ledger expense accounts assign to ERP implementation project.
Develop, maintain financial models/applications (VBA Excel/Access) to automate and streamline business processes and perform financial analysis.
Perform cost control, revenue analysis and variance analysis for several DOD contracts.
Identify parts that need to be realign to correct WBS s in order to bring costs inline.
Ensure that purchase orders and work orders are setup in accordance with establish DuPont procedures and appropriate WBS structures.
Perform fixed asset and manufacturing accounting within ERP system.

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Cost controller vs cost analyst skills

Common cost controller skills

Project Management, 11%
Cost Analysis, 7%
Financial Statements, 6%
Cost Estimates, 6%
Variance Analysis, 5%
Cost Data, 5%

Common cost analyst skills

Cost Analysis, 8%
Financial Analysis, 6%
Cost Estimates, 6%
Data Analysis, 4%
DOD, 4%
Variance Analysis, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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