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The differences between finance analysts and senior finance 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 finance analyst and a senior finance analyst. Additionally, a senior finance analyst has an average salary of $83,222, which is higher than the $69,887 average annual salary of a finance analyst.
The top three skills for a finance analyst include financial analysis, financial models and financial data. The most important skills for a senior finance analyst are financial analysis, hyperion, and financial models.
| Finance Analyst | Senior Finance Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $69,887 | $83,222 |
| Hourly rate | $33.60 | $40.01 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 138,600 | 117,609 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A finance analyst is responsible for evaluating a company's financial data and historical reports to assess investment opportunities and provide accurate financial statements in support of business strategies and company performance prediction. A financial analyst's duties also include suggesting recommendations to boost operations efficiency and grow revenues, researching the current market performance and economic trends to adjust budget goals as needed, and managing client portfolios. Finance analysts must have excellent critical and analytical thinking skills to identify the best actions for the company's profitability.
A Senior Financial Analyst's role is to oversee the financial aspects and manage fellow analysts in a company. Among the tasks of a Senior Financial Analyst include conducting research and analysis, providing forecast in revenue and expenditures, creating financial models that would suit the company and project more sales, and take part in the planning of finances. Moreover, being a Senior Financial Analyst means leading a team of skilled professionals in the same field of expertise.
Finance analysts and senior finance analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finance Analyst | Senior Finance Analyst | |
| Average salary | $69,887 | $83,222 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $104,000 | Between $62,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a finance analyst and a senior finance analyst in terms of educational background:
| Finance Analyst | Senior Finance Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Business | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between finance analysts' and senior finance analysts' demographics:
| Finance Analyst | Senior Finance Analyst | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% | Male, 61.7% Female, 38.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.1% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.1% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |