If you’re wondering what accountants make, the median is $83,680 a year, based on BLS May 2025 wage data for accountants and auditors. Half of accountants earn less than that and half earn more. Where you land depends a lot on the state you work in and the kind of work you do.
How Much Do Accountants Make a Year?
The $83,680 median works out to $40.23 an hour. The mean is higher at $94,750, because a small group of high earners pulls the average up. So when you see an average accountant salary somewhere, check whether it’s the mean or the median. The median is closer to what you’d earn in a typical job.
BLS counted 1,449,500 accountants and auditors across the country in May 2025. That’s a big, steady job market, and it’s part of why these pay numbers are solid.
What Does the Full Accountant Salary Range Look Like?
Pay spreads out a lot. Here’s how it breaks down by percentile:
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th | $56,020 |
| 25th | $67,020 |
| Median | $83,680 |
| 75th | $109,810 |
| 90th | $144,090 |
If you’re about to graduate, an offer around $67,020 is a fair place to start. Your first job will probably land in the lower half of that range, and that’s normal.
You’ll find the upper half mostly with people who’ve put in several years, picked up a specialty like tax or audit, or moved into management. BLS doesn’t report pay by years of experience, so think of these numbers as a map and not a promise.
If an employer quotes you an hourly rate, the median is $40.23 and the mean is $45.56. That assumes a standard full-time year.
What Do Accountants Do to Earn That Pay?
BLS says accountants and auditors check financial statements for accuracy, work out taxes and prepare returns, look for fraud risk in accounting systems, and keep financial records in order. Senior people also look at how a business runs and suggest ways to cut costs.
That last piece is where pay starts to separate. If you only enter and reconcile transactions, you’ll sit near the bottom of the range. If you advise on costs, catch fraud risk or sign off on statements, you’ll be closer to the top. Our how to become an accountant guide covers the day-to-day work and how to get in.
Which States Pay the Most for an Accountant Salary?
Your state matters. New York pays a median of $102,640 and has 109,830 accountants, so it pays well and hires a lot. New Jersey comes next at $100,830, then Massachusetts at $99,460.
California has the most jobs of any state, 175,360 of them, with a median of $97,050. Texas and Florida are big markets too, and their pay sits close to the national median.
At the low end, Arkansas has a median of $66,330 and Mississippi has $68,100. The state table on this page lists every state, so you can look up your own and any you might move to.
What Pushes an Accountant Salary Higher?
Four things do most of the work, based on how BLS describes the job and the pay spread:
- Specialty. Tax work, auditing and fraud-risk review are all core accounting duties, and each one is its own career track.
- Licensing. A certified public accountant (CPA) license opens senior roles. Our CPA salary page shows how to think about it, and our CPA requirements guide has the rules.
- Degree level. BLS says some employers prefer a master’s degree. Our master’s list compares those programs.
- Location. Moving to a high-paying state can add more than a promotion would.
How Does an Accountant Salary Compare With Nearby Jobs?
Bookkeeping clerks have a median of $50,670, and many of them work without a degree. Financial and investment analysts have a median of $102,740. Financial managers, who are the usual next step up from senior accounting, have a median of $166,570.
So accounting sits in the middle of the ladder. If you’re starting in clerk work, a degree is how you climb it. Our bookkeeper salary page and financial manager salary page cover the two ends.
Is an Accountant Salary Worth the Degree?
Demand says yes. BLS expects accounting jobs to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is faster than the average for all jobs. That’s 79,400 new jobs.
You will need a bachelor’s degree, though, and what you pay for it varies a lot. Our bachelor’s in accounting list and cheapest programs show the range. A program like Missouri State’s BS in accounting is a good place to start comparing.
Getting licensed costs extra on top of the degree, in both time and money. But pay climbs as your work gets more advanced, and the 75th percentile of $109,810 is a realistic goal if you build a specialty.
Accountants and Auditors Pay by State
In May 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median annual wage of $83,680 for accountants and auditors nationwide. The middle half earned between $67,020 and $109,810. About 1,449,500 people held these jobs.
The District of Columbia had the highest published state median at $111,530, and Arkansas the lowest at $66,330. The table lists every state where the bureau publishes a median for this occupation.
| State | Median | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $111,530 | $71,470 | $185,220 | 9,810 |
| New York | $102,640 | $63,700 | $171,030 | 109,830 |
| New Jersey | $100,830 | $65,710 | $167,080 | 42,250 |
| Massachusetts | $99,460 | $70,460 | $160,100 | 46,230 |
| Connecticut | $97,550 | $64,230 | $156,670 | 16,770 |
| California | $97,050 | $61,770 | $160,520 | 175,360 |
| Colorado | $97,030 | $60,760 | $162,160 | 35,410 |
| Washington | $96,550 | $66,330 | $152,310 | 34,740 |
| Rhode Island | $95,820 | $59,920 | $150,320 | 6,570 |
| Delaware | $95,020 | $60,500 | $132,550 | 6,570 |
| Virginia | $93,290 | $60,000 | $156,730 | 47,100 |
| Maryland | $89,370 | $59,760 | $156,660 | 26,170 |
| Oregon | $85,800 | $62,590 | $130,650 | 14,920 |
| New Hampshire | $83,470 | $59,920 | $131,110 | 7,000 |
| Alaska | $83,460 | $57,690 | $125,810 | 2,190 |
| North Carolina | $82,050 | $53,610 | $146,100 | 49,270 |
| Georgia | $81,900 | $51,830 | $145,960 | 44,020 |
| Minnesota | $81,600 | $58,280 | $138,960 | 30,530 |
| Nevada | $81,600 | $58,630 | $128,760 | 6,930 |
| Texas | $80,920 | $53,380 | $132,040 | 116,470 |
| Illinois | $80,230 | $54,510 | $131,990 | 54,930 |
| Utah | $79,990 | $48,770 | $131,590 | 15,490 |
| Arizona | $79,970 | $55,430 | $128,890 | 27,410 |
| Wisconsin | $79,400 | $58,340 | $127,800 | 25,100 |
| Oklahoma | $79,370 | $47,670 | $155,480 | 16,720 |
| Ohio | $79,320 | $52,140 | $131,400 | 50,440 |
| Florida | $79,250 | $50,280 | $131,930 | 91,000 |
| Kansas | $79,000 | $52,960 | $129,800 | 13,610 |
| Pennsylvania | $79,000 | $50,680 | $130,270 | 54,290 |
| Vermont | $78,890 | $59,770 | $118,800 | 2,630 |
| South Dakota | $78,880 | $61,190 | $115,470 | 5,820 |
| Michigan | $78,820 | $52,620 | $131,080 | 41,460 |
| New Mexico | $78,580 | $52,390 | $125,420 | 6,300 |
| Indiana | $77,720 | $50,950 | $125,880 | 25,660 |
| Wyoming | $77,620 | $50,900 | $126,520 | 2,670 |
| Maine | $77,480 | $55,640 | $125,130 | 3,860 |
| Iowa | $77,440 | $51,420 | $123,700 | 13,210 |
| Tennessee | $76,840 | $49,920 | $122,160 | 27,340 |
| Missouri | $76,590 | $49,290 | $128,300 | 28,000 |
| South Carolina | $76,560 | $50,370 | $131,220 | 15,270 |
| Montana | $75,810 | $49,250 | $125,290 | 4,730 |
| North Dakota | $75,730 | $49,330 | $124,960 | 4,430 |
| Kentucky | $75,270 | $50,750 | $121,230 | 11,930 |
| Alabama | $74,880 | $50,240 | $123,170 | 24,300 |
| Idaho | $74,730 | $48,170 | $121,820 | 5,570 |
| Hawaii | $74,500 | $49,860 | $117,840 | 4,670 |
| Louisiana | $73,810 | $48,950 | $117,110 | 14,050 |
| West Virginia | $73,320 | $49,240 | $115,210 | 4,900 |
| Nebraska | $72,080 | $48,590 | $114,530 | 10,340 |
| Mississippi | $68,100 | $45,440 | $120,290 | 7,350 |
| Arkansas | $66,330 | $45,810 | $119,520 | 7,870 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Average Accountant Salary?
How Much Do Entry Level Accountants Make?
Which State Pays Accountants the Most?
Do You Need a Degree to Earn a Good Accountant Salary?
Sources
- Accountants and Auditors, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
All sources retrieved .