Accountants and Auditors
Accountants and Auditors earn an average annual salary of $106,651, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Accountants and Auditors workforce.
Employment Over Time
173,370 Workforce in 2023
The Accountants and Auditors workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Accountants and Auditors.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$106,651 Average Wage
In 2023, Accountants and Auditors earned an average of $106,651.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Accountants and Auditors.
Salary distribution for Accountants and Auditors.
Employment Growth Projections
1.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
734,015 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 8.9%
799,352 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 18.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Accountants and Auditors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Accountants and Auditors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Accountants and Auditors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Accountants and Auditors.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Accountants and Auditors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Accountants and Auditors.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 158,320 employees, $106,921 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Accountants and Auditors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 46,870 employees, $102,627 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 18,720 employees, $102,680 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 15,380 employees, $126,274 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 14,070 employees, $106,682 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 13,410 employees, $131,117 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 12,920 employees, $95,947 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 10,060 employees, $116,589 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 9,120 employees, $94,765 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 2,840 employees, $87,065 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 2,400 employees, $103,036 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Accountants and Auditors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Accountants and Auditors in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Accountants and Auditors in 2023 was 173,370 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Accountants and Auditors.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Accountants and Auditors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Accountants and Auditors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Accountants and Auditors in 2023 were Business, Accounting, Finance.
Common majors for Accountants and Auditors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Accountants and Auditors workers.
Education level distribution for Accountants and Auditors.
Skills
Accountants and Auditors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Writing.
Required skills for Accountants and Auditors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Accountants and Auditors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Accountants and Auditors include Economics and Accounting, English Language, Mathematics, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Accountants and Auditors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Accountants and Auditors include Number Facility, Mathematical Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Accountants and Auditors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Accountants and Auditors.
Daily Activities
Accountants and Auditors spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Documenting/Recording Information.
Most important work activities for Accountants and Auditors.
About
Accountants and Auditors
The average yearly wage for Accountants and Auditors was $106,651 in 2023.
SOC Code
13-2011 - Accountants and Auditors
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Accountants and Auditors reports an average salary of $106,651, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 173,370 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.