Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior cost analysts and accounting consultants 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 cost analyst and an accounting consultant. Additionally, a senior cost analyst has an average salary of $77,845, which is higher than the $62,830 average annual salary of an accounting consultant.
The top three skills for a senior cost analyst include financial analysis, cost analysis and cost estimates. The most important skills for an accounting consultant are CPA, GAAP, and reconciliations.
| Senior Cost Analyst | Accounting Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $77,845 | $62,830 |
| Hourly rate | $37.43 | $30.21 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 53,872 | 74,894 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Senior cost analysts are lead professionals who collaborate with a variety of departments to gather financial data and perform analysis to uncover inefficiencies. These analysts are required to develop accurate cost estimates that are used in producing pricing quotations on products and programs. They must utilize the enterprise resource planning (ERP) business system to track the quotation process and maintain standard costs through cost roll activities. Senior cost analysts must also collaborate with managers to facilitate initiatives and projects that are cost-saving.
An Accounting Consultant is a person tasked to assist the accounting department of a company. The consultant advises businesses concerning the accounting system used by the organization. It is also through the accounting consultant's help that improvements in the accounting process are proposed, the determination of problematic areas in the workflow, possible issues in the future, and everything that needs upgrading. The accounting consultant also helps businesses conform to legal policies set about by State and Federal legislation.
Senior cost analysts and accounting consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Cost Analyst | Accounting Consultant | |
| Average salary | $77,845 | $62,830 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $105,000 | Between $45,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Jordan Company |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a senior cost analyst and an accounting consultant in terms of educational background:
| Senior Cost Analyst | Accounting Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior cost analysts' and accounting consultants' demographics:
| Senior Cost Analyst | Accounting Consultant | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5% | Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.9% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.4% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 7% |