Salary guide, May 2025

Senior Cost Analyst pay, United States

Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.

This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.

The median annual wage for Accountants and Auditors in the United States was $83,680 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $67,020 and $109,810.

Broader occupation · SOC 13-2011 Accountants and Auditors

BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.

Accountants and Auditors in U.S.: median $83,680; published 25th to 75th percentile $67,020 to $109,810.

Annual wage percentiles, U.S.
10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
$56,020	$67,020	$83,680	$109,810	$144,090

Accountants and Auditors in U.S.: median $40.23; published 25th to 75th percentile $32.22 to $52.80.

Hourly wage percentiles, U.S.
10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
$26.93	$32.22	$40.23	$52.80	$69.27

BLS estimated 1,449,500 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 13-2011 Accountants and Auditors, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.

How does pay compare in the target metros?

Senior Cost Analyst pay in target metros (May 2025)
Metro	Median	25th to 75th	Employment	Location quotient
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$80,920	$63,700 to $105,500	30,950	1.18
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$78,990	$62,570 to $102,490	14,770	1.09
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$78,630	$62,940 to $101,210	10,410	0.79
Raleigh-Cary, NC	$81,950	$67,050 to $105,160	9,190	1.33
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$105,650	$82,830 to $137,490	111,930	1.27
Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$105,650	$82,830 to $137,490	111,930	1.27
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$82,620	$71,100 to $104,150	37,450	0.99
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$82,360	$72,280 to $103,120	41,360	0.98

Rank every metro for Senior Cost Analyst

What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?

Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels. Nested NAICS rows overlap; they are not independent samples and must not be added together. Identical source rows repeated at different publication levels appear once.

Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing (NAICS 334000)$97,920
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing (NAICS 324000)$94,960
Chemical Manufacturing (NAICS 325000)$93,380
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing (NAICS 312000)$92,690
Apparel Manufacturing (NAICS 315000)$91,230
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (NAICS 336000)$90,970
Machinery Manufacturing (NAICS 333000)$88,270
Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing (NAICS 335000)$88,040
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (NAICS 327000)$86,990
Primary Metal Manufacturing (NAICS 331000)$86,830
Paper Manufacturing (NAICS 322000)$86,340
Miscellaneous Manufacturing (NAICS 339000)$85,950
Food Manufacturing (NAICS 311000)$85,450
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (NAICS 326000)$84,320
Textile Mills (NAICS 313000)$83,870

Bars compare up to 15 non-overlapping 3-digit manufacturing subsectors with exact annual medians. More detailed scopes remain in the table, identified by code and publication level.

Senior Cost Analyst (SOC 13-2011) by manufacturing industry, national, May 2025
NAICS / scope	Industry	Employment	25th	Median	75th
31-33 · sector	Manufacturing	90,380	$70,640	$87,790	$112,270
334000 · 3-digit	Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing	11,600	$76,390	$97,920	$128,140
333000 · 3-digit	Machinery Manufacturing	11,550	$72,440	$88,270	$110,180
332000 · 3-digit	Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing	11,090	$67,480	$83,630	$105,160
336000 · 3-digit	Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	8,670	$72,570	$90,970	$114,300
3330A1 · 4-digit	Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)	7,950	$73,000	$88,090	$109,450
325000 · 3-digit	Chemical Manufacturing	7,870	$75,080	$93,380	$123,350
311000 · 3-digit	Food Manufacturing	7,470	$68,640	$85,450	$112,160
334500 · 4-digit	Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	5,030	$76,630	$98,990	$126,630
339000 · 3-digit	Miscellaneous Manufacturing	4,910	$71,550	$85,950	$107,860
326000 · 3-digit	Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing	4,470	$67,360	$84,320	$107,850
335000 · 3-digit	Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing	4,020	$70,350	$88,040	$115,280
3320A2 · 4-digit	Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)	3,910	$65,680	$82,710	$103,810
3320A1 · 4-digit	Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)	3,730	$70,480	$84,570	$105,800
326100 · 4-digit	Plastics Product Manufacturing	3,720	$67,350	$85,410	$109,180
334400 · 4-digit	Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	3,400	$79,400	$98,930	$129,470
336400 · 4-digit	Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	3,370	$79,690	$101,510	$130,520
3250A1 · 4-digit	Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)	3,140	$73,740	$91,120	$118,310
323000 · 3-digit	Printing and Related Support Activities	2,930	$61,800	$78,330	$99,150
323100 · 4-digit	Printing and Related Support Activities	2,930	$61,800	$78,330	$99,150
325400 · 4-digit	Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	2,870	$78,550	$99,560	$131,880
336300 · 4-digit	Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	2,830	$64,560	$80,110	$103,430
331000 · 3-digit	Primary Metal Manufacturing	2,800	$69,430	$86,830	$105,600
339900 · 4-digit	Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing	2,670	$65,850	$81,620	$103,340
332700 · 4-digit	Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing	2,600	$67,670	$84,470	$111,420
327000 · 3-digit	Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing	2,370	$68,080	$86,990	$109,000
339100 · 4-digit	Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing	2,230	$75,930	$95,880	$119,920
337000 · 3-digit	Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing	2,220	$63,790	$80,060	$100,010
3370A1 · 4-digit	Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only)	2,040	$62,410	$79,560	$99,990
322000 · 3-digit	Paper Manufacturing	2,010	$68,290	$86,340	$109,470
332710 · 5-digit	Machine Shops	1,940	$68,320	$84,140	$111,610
3250A2 · 4-digit	Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only)	1,860	$67,150	$85,180	$109,990
321000 · 3-digit	Wood Product Manufacturing	1,830	$61,920	$76,000	$97,010
312000 · 3-digit	Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing	1,750	$74,430	$92,690	$114,280
312100 · 4-digit	Beverage Manufacturing	1,660	$73,600	$92,190	$114,010
322200 · 4-digit	Converted Paper Product Manufacturing	1,650	$68,920	$86,780	$110,120
335300 · 4-digit	Electrical Equipment Manufacturing	1,640	$64,310	$83,850	$105,490
335900 · 4-digit	Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing	1,610	$76,240	$94,770	$120,480
334100 · 4-digit	Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing	1,550	$64,740	$96,860	$132,150
311600 · 4-digit	Animal Slaughtering and Processing	1,540	$63,060	$78,540	$102,350
333500 · 4-digit	Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing	1,500	$64,920	$80,790	$104,070
311900 · 4-digit	Other Food Manufacturing	1,470	$70,120	$89,550	$120,940
333300 · 4-digit	Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing	1,300	$75,480	$93,070	$115,220
334200 · 4-digit	Communications Equipment Manufacturing	1,090	$72,860	$91,810	$113,700
321900 · 4-digit	Other Wood Product Manufacturing	1,070	$61,660	$74,750	$94,600
324000 · 3-digit	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	1,070	$74,870	$94,960	$117,160
324100 · 4-digit	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	1,070	$74,870	$94,960	$117,160
311500 · 4-digit	Dairy Product Manufacturing	1,000	$71,720	$88,010	$111,550
311400 · 4-digit	Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing	960	$73,000	$88,410	$116,720
332800 · 4-digit	Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities	860	$65,140	$80,300	$99,090
336200 · 4-digit	Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing	840	$64,090	$77,260	$101,150
333600 · 4-digit	Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing	800	$78,740	$102,150	$124,300
311800 · 4-digit	Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing	790	$73,410	$96,400	$118,220
326200 · 4-digit	Rubber Product Manufacturing	750	$67,370	$79,410	$102,190
331500 · 4-digit	Foundries	710	$64,990	$79,780	$100,520
332720 · 5-digit	Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing	660	$64,160	$86,400	$106,280
315000 · 3-digit	Apparel Manufacturing	630	$73,660	$91,230	$124,380
331400 · 4-digit	Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing	610	$69,600	$93,590	$123,680
336100 · 4-digit	Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	610	$78,430	$97,660	$108,250
311100 · 4-digit	Animal Food Manufacturing	600	$68,080	$89,080	$113,090
331100 · 4-digit	Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing	600	$72,080	$86,970	$99,060
336600 · 4-digit	Ship and Boat Building	570	$67,920	$80,530	$102,450
331200 · 4-digit	Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel	530	$69,820	$89,640	$103,650
314000 · 3-digit	Textile Product Mills	500	$65,310	$80,010	$100,280
311200 · 4-digit	Grain and Oilseed Milling	480	$67,920	$84,420	$103,740
311300 · 4-digit	Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing	470	$70,320	$82,060	$106,270
315200 · 4-digit	Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing	470	$75,980	$94,100	$128,520
313000 · 3-digit	Textile Mills	450	$64,270	$83,870	$111,320
335100 · 4-digit	Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing	450	$75,110	$95,790	$134,340
321100 · 4-digit	Sawmills and Wood Preservation	400	$60,550	$76,960	$95,740
321200 · 4-digit	Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing	360	$64,820	$80,360	$107,580
322100 · 4-digit	Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills	360	$66,910	$85,820	$104,560
331300 · 4-digit	Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing	350	$74,150	$94,610	$115,950
314900 · 4-digit	Other Textile Product Mills	330	$67,380	$80,010	$100,470
335200 · 4-digit	Household Appliance Manufacturing	330	$57,170	$79,960	$100,260
336900 · 4-digit	Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	290	$57,000	$78,910	$101,420
334300 · 4-digit	Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing	270	$68,240	$83,860	$130,990
334600 · 4-digit	Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media	260	$71,260	$98,870	$135,620
313200 · 4-digit	Fabric Mills	230	$61,940	$83,800	$113,340
313300 · 4-digit	Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills	180	$74,250	$91,060	$121,570
337900 · 4-digit	Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing	180	$75,560	$86,050	$101,470
314100 · 4-digit	Textile Furnishings Mills	170	$62,400	$80,490	$100,280
316000 · 3-digit	Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing	170	$51,650	$72,590	$85,980
339910 · 5-digit	Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing	170	$62,400	$77,500	$94,570
311700 · 4-digit	Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging	160	$74,150	$92,370	$99,490
336500 · 4-digit	Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing	150	$78,770	$102,000	$121,000
315900 · 4-digit	Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing	120	$68,010	$81,480	$103,360
312200 · 4-digit	Tobacco Manufacturing	100	$78,810	$102,500	$121,730
316200 · 4-digit	Footwear Manufacturing	70	$66,710	$79,550	$93,900
316900 · 4-digit	Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing	70	$45,530	$57,610	$83,320
313100 · 4-digit	Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills	50	$51,210	$59,440	$80,250
315100 · 4-digit	Apparel Knitting Mills	40	$73,660	$82,110	$165,560
316100 · 4-digit	Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing	40	$60,220	$68,330	$78,610

What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?

For Senior Cost Analyst, separate the guaranteed salary from any discretionary bonus or commission arrangement. OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. It includes base rate, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits.

An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure. Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.

Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.

What should you know about two BLS releases?

Senior Cost Analyst in the United States, annual wages, May 2024 and May 2025
Release period	25th	Median	75th
May 2024	$64,660	$81,680	$106,450
May 2025	$67,020	$83,680	$109,810

These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.

Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.

What should you know about a move that can hold up?

Someone working in experienced cost analysts working with plant production and financial records needs a clear reason to leave. Explain how your opening changes their responsibility for complex manufacturing cost investigations and decision support. If the answer depends on authority over complex manufacturing cost investigations and decision support that you cannot offer, that mismatch belongs in the conversation before an offer.

What should you know about questions?

Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.

What is the median pay for a Senior Cost Analyst?

The median annual wage for Accountants and Auditors in the United States was $83,680 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $67,020 and $109,810. This is the broader occupation BLS publishes, not a figure for this exact title.

What does the 10th percentile mean here?

10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $56,020. 90% earned less than $144,090.

Does this include overtime or bonuses?

Is this the pay for a Senior Cost Analyst at a plant?

BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.

How many people work in this occupation?

BLS estimated 1,449,500 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.

What should you know about related?

Underlying BLS figures for this role (JSON)

Reading this wage estimate

What does this data mean for your opening?

The Senior Cost Analyst role is mapped to SOC 13-2011, Accountants and Auditors. For Senior Cost Analyst in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $83,680; the May 2024 median is $81,680. Their arithmetic difference is $2,000. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause.

The middle-band width is $42,790, which spans from a P25 of $67,020 to a P75 of $109,810. S. economy, from clerical accounting staff to high-level corporate cost analysts. Consequently, this aggregate data is a blunt tool for assessing senior-level manufacturing cost analysts.

Regional employment hubs show different compensation patterns: the New York-Newark-Jersey City area reports a median of $105,650, and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim reports $94,360. New York has a high location quotient of 1.27, and Los Angeles also maintains a significant quotient of 1.21. These hubs demonstrate that major markets pay significantly higher than the national median. However, these figures are still based on the entire accounting and auditing profession and do not isolate the specific technical skills required for variance analysis or absorption calculation in a manufacturing plant.

National industry rows indicate higher medians for specialized roles, such as Tobacco Manufacturing at $102,500, Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing at $102,150, and Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing at $102,000. These sectors are much closer to the expected pay for an experienced senior cost analyst than the $83,680 general median. For Senior Cost Analyst in the United States, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded. For Senior Cost Analyst in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $67,020 to $109,810 annually. They do not assign pay to plant size, seniority, credentials or job complexity. Assess duties and candidate requirements separately; these rows do not measure a premium for them. When recruiting for a role requiring the depth to separate material usage variance from price and absorption variance, managers must ignore the general accounting median and instead benchmark against the $102,000+ industry-specific medians. Using the broad occupational data will consistently result in undervaluation of candidates possessing the specific cost-analysis depth required for modern manufacturing management.

Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?

For Senior Cost Analyst in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $67,020 to $109,810 annually. They do not assign pay to plant size, seniority, credentials or job complexity. Assess duties and candidate requirements separately; these rows do not measure a premium for them.

Why is the national median of $83,680 misleading for this role?

The median aggregates every accountant and auditor in the US, regardless of complexity. Senior-level manufacturing cost analysis requires specific technical depth that is masked by the general average.

Which industry medians best represent senior cost analyst pay?

The Engine and Railroad industry medians, all sitting around $102,000, provide a much more accurate expectation for a senior-level cost analyst than the broader occupational median.

What is the importance of the $42,790 middle-band width?