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The differences between portfolio accountants and senior cost accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a portfolio accountant and a senior cost accountant. Additionally, a portfolio accountant has an average salary of $69,877, which is higher than the $65,824 average annual salary of a senior cost accountant.
The top three skills for a portfolio accountant include reconciliations, financial reports and real estate. The most important skills for a senior cost accountant are reconciliations, variance analysis, and GAAP.
| Portfolio Accountant | Senior Cost Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $69,877 | $65,824 |
| Hourly rate | $33.59 | $31.65 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 41,323 | 45,010 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 84% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Portfolio accountants must have effective communication and time management skills in addition to a bachelor's degree in accounting. They maintain and improve processes and systems by keeping and compiling records on monthly and quarterly reports. They also prepare financial statements, assist in fund pricing, and calculate losses, profits, and net asset values.
A senior cost accountant is an individual who maintains detailed costs in a company's system and provides cost analysis that supports operations and sales. Senior cost accountants are required to review inventory and deal with manufacturing personnel to control and analyze standard costs. They must record cost information to be used in controlling expenditures as well as recommend cost efficiencies in new product layouts. Senior cost accountants must also provide reports that specify and compare factors affecting prices and profitability of products or services to the management.
Portfolio accountants and senior cost accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Portfolio Accountant | Senior Cost Accountant | |
| Average salary | $69,877 | $65,824 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $102,000 | Between $48,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | AQR Capital Management | OraSure Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a portfolio accountant and a senior cost accountant in terms of educational background:
| Portfolio Accountant | Senior Cost Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 84% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between portfolio accountants' and senior cost accountants' demographics:
| Portfolio Accountant | Senior Cost Accountant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% | Male, 59.7% Female, 40.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 17.9% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.3% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |