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The differences between senior accountants and 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 senior accountant and a finance analyst. Additionally, a senior accountant has an average salary of $71,967, which is higher than the $69,887 average annual salary of a finance analyst.
The top three skills for a senior accountant include reconciliations, CPA and GAAP. The most important skills for a finance analyst are financial analysis, financial models, and financial data.
| Senior Accountant | Finance Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $71,967 | $69,887 |
| Hourly rate | $34.60 | $33.60 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 76,816 | 138,600 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior accountant is responsible for organizing financial reports, analyzing cost estimates, reviewing budget goals regularly, and making adjustments with the company's account statements as necessary. Senior accountants' duties also include managing account reconciliations, preparing tax documents, maintaining audit records and balance sheets, generating invoices, and providing recommendations to minimize possible financial loss. A senior accountant must have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills and extensive knowledge of accounting and financial principles.
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.
Senior accountants and finance analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Accountant | Finance Analyst | |
| Average salary | $71,967 | $69,887 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $92,000 | Between $46,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior accountant and a finance analyst in terms of educational background:
| Senior Accountant | Finance Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior accountants' and finance analysts' demographics:
| Senior Accountant | Finance Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1% | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 14.5% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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% |