Accountants and Auditors Salary: $106,651 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 1,448,290 accountants and auditors nationally earn a mean of $106,651. Employment in the series shown rose about 4% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.7% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Accountants and Auditors: what the data shows
Common questions about accountants and auditors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a accountants and auditors?
Accountants and Auditors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 13-2011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 1,448,290 workers.
What does a accountants and auditors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Documenting/Recording Information, Processing Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a accountants and auditors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $81,680 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $106,651 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,050 |
| 25th percentile | $77,623 |
| Median (50th) | $98,147 |
| 75th percentile | $127,206 |
| 90th percentile | $165,156 |
What education do you need?
For Accountants and Auditors, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Writing, Mathematics, and knowledge areas including Economics and Accounting, English Language, Mathematics, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is accountants and auditors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 8.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 18.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 1,448,290.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do accountants and auditorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 1,448,290 | 18.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 1,295,360 | 16.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 483,970 | 6.3% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 483,970 | 6.3% |
| Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services | 347,320 | 4.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 152,930 | 2.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Accountants and Auditors in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 497,800 | $103,790 |
| Marketing Managers | 384,980 | $161,030 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 270,480 | $102,140 |
| Financial Analysts | 340,580 | $101,350 |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,584,420 | $102,950 |
| Financial Managers | 818,620 | $161,700 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Accountants and Auditors workforce.
Employment Over Time
1,448,290 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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 173,370 employees, $104,710 avg wage
- NY: 111,860 employees, $115,490 avg wage
- TX: 109,530 employees, $89,860 avg wage
- FL: 90,880 employees, $87,360 avg wage
- IL: 54,690 employees, $88,160 avg wage
- PA: 54,440 employees, $85,200 avg wage
- OH: 51,840 employees, $86,040 avg wage
- VA: 50,220 employees, $95,650 avg wage
- NC: 46,420 employees, $91,240 avg wage
- MA: 45,520 employees, $102,030 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Accountants and Auditors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 114,300 employees, $121,970 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 65,590 employees, $100,770 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 42,320 employees, $108,670 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 41,860 employees, $92,100 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 36,300 employees, $103,570 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 34,550 employees, $93,660 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 30,610 employees, $96,100 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 29,910 employees, $89,490 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 29,180 employees, $96,390 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 27,340 employees, $94,290 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 1,448,290 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 1,448,290 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.