Accountant / Auditor vs Data Scientist: $84K vs $120K Median Pay

Accountant / Auditor vs Data Scientist: what changes?

Consider Accountant / Auditor if you want to examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Consider Data Scientist if you would rather develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Accountant / Auditor and Data Scientist. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Accountant / Auditor

National median pay (2025): $83,680
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Prepare detailed reports on audit findings.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 115,300

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Accountant / Auditor brief

Data Scientist

National median pay (2025): $120,230
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 24,800

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Data Scientist brief

How the national numbers differ

Data Scientist has the edge on projected growth

Data Scientist is at 34.6% projected growth, compared with 5% projected growth for Accountant / Auditor.

Accountant / Auditor has the edge on annual openings

Accountant / Auditor is at 115,300 annual openings, compared with 24,800 annual openings for Data Scientist.

Data Scientist has the edge on median pay

Data Scientist is at $120,230, compared with $83,680 for Accountant / Auditor.

72.9/ 100

Accountant / Auditor

80.2/ 100

Data Scientist

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Accountant / Auditor vs Data Scientist

Dimension	Accountant / Auditor	Data Scientist
Median pay (2025)	$83,680	$120,230
Pay percentile	75.2 percentile	89.5 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	5%	34.6%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	115,300	24,800
2025 employment	1,595,200	275,600
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Accountant / Auditor brief Read Data Scientist brief

Accountant / Auditor vs Data Scientist: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Accountant / Auditor

Data Scientist

How the national numbers differ

Data Scientist has the edge on projected growth

Accountant / Auditor has the edge on annual openings

Data Scientist has the edge on median pay

Accountant / Auditor vs Data Scientist

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