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The differences between senior staff accountants and senior accountant 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 staff accountant and a senior accountant analyst. Additionally, a senior accountant analyst has an average salary of $75,282, which is higher than the $65,019 average annual salary of a senior staff accountant.
The top three skills for a senior staff accountant include reconciliations, account reconciliations and CPA. The most important skills for a senior accountant analyst are reconciliations, external auditors, and account reconciliations.
| Senior Staff Accountant | Senior Accountant Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $65,019 | $75,282 |
| Hourly rate | $31.26 | $36.19 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 112,760 | 82,010 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior staff accountant is responsible for managing the accounting operations of the company's accounting department, reconciling accounts, and finalizing financial reports to discuss with the management. Senior staff accountants resolve account discrepancies, analyze the company's financial status, and verify financial transactions. They must have excellent analytical skills and extensive knowledge of the accounting principles to perform accounting duties that would minimize the financial risk of the company. A senior staff accountant provides strategic recommendations to prevent overspending and increase efficiency across all departments to drive more revenues and profits.
As a senior accountant analyst, your main role is to provide professional guidance to a company. You need to have excellent preparation skills to create financial reports that clearly state the expenses and forecast the company's financial future. You should always aim for accuracy and compliance. Moreover, as a senior accountant analyst, you are supposed to give general operational assistance to the company's management.
Senior staff accountants and senior accountant analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Staff Accountant | Senior Accountant Analyst | |
| Average salary | $65,019 | $75,282 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $86,000 | Between $58,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Calumet Specialty Products Partners | BMO Capital Markets |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior staff accountant and a senior accountant analyst in terms of educational background:
| Senior Staff Accountant | Senior Accountant Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior staff accountants' and senior accountant analysts' demographics:
| Senior Staff Accountant | Senior Accountant Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 14.1% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |