BLS accountant and auditor salaries by state and percentile, tax-season hours, industry pay and take-home after 2026 tax
Accountants and auditors earned a median salary of $83,680 in May 2025, or $40.23 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which counted 1,449,500 on payrolls. The bottom tenth earned under $56,020 and the top tenth over $144,090. Year-end and non-production bonuses aren't counted.
This is the BLS line for accountants and auditors (SOC 13-2011) on employers' payrolls — public, management, government and internal accountants and auditors together. Bookkeeping clerks, tax preparers and financial managers are separate lines, and self-employed accountants aren't counted. Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.
| Pay level | Hourly | Annual | Monthly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $26.93 | $56,020 | $4,668 | $47,192 |
| 25th percentile | $32.22 | $67,020 | $5,585 | $55,979 |
| Median | $40.23 | $83,680 | $6,973 | $67,699 |
| 75th percentile | $52.80 | $109,810 | $9,151 | $86,081 |
| 90th percentile | $69.27 | $144,090 | $12,008 | $109,752 |
Washington, D.C. has the highest median, $111,530, then New York ($102,640) and New Jersey ($100,830). Arkansas is lowest at $66,330. California employs the most accountants, 175,360, at $97,050; Texas pays $80,920 and Florida $79,250.
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $53.62 | $111,530 | 9,810 |
| New York | $49.35 | $102,640 | 109,830 |
| New Jersey | $48.48 | $100,830 | 42,250 |
| Massachusetts | $47.82 | $99,460 | 46,230 |
| Connecticut | $46.90 | $97,550 | 16,770 |
| California | $46.66 | $97,050 | 175,360 |
| Colorado | $46.65 | $97,030 | 35,410 |
| Washington | $46.42 | $96,550 | 34,740 |
| Rhode Island | $46.07 | $95,820 | 6,570 |
| Delaware | $45.69 | $95,020 | 6,570 |
| Virginia | $44.85 | $93,290 | 47,100 |
| Maryland | $42.97 | $89,370 | 26,170 |
| Oregon | $41.25 | $85,800 | 14,920 |
| Alaska | $40.13 | $83,460 | 2,190 |
| New Hampshire | $40.13 | $83,470 | 7,000 |
| North Carolina | $39.45 | $82,050 | 49,270 |
| Georgia | $39.37 | $81,900 | 44,020 |
| Minnesota | $39.23 | $81,600 | 30,530 |
| Nevada | $39.23 | $81,600 | 6,930 |
| Texas | $38.91 | $80,920 | 116,470 |
| Illinois | $38.57 | $80,230 | 54,930 |
| Utah | $38.46 | $79,990 | 15,490 |
| Arizona | $38.45 | $79,970 | 27,410 |
| Wisconsin | $38.17 | $79,400 | 25,100 |
| Oklahoma | $38.16 | $79,370 | 16,720 |
| Ohio | $38.14 | $79,320 | 50,440 |
| Florida | $38.10 | $79,250 | 91,000 |
| Kansas | $37.98 | $79,000 | 13,610 |
| Pennsylvania | $37.98 | $79,000 | 54,290 |
| Vermont | $37.93 | $78,890 | 2,630 |
| South Dakota | $37.92 | $78,880 | 5,820 |
| Michigan | $37.89 | $78,820 | 41,460 |
| New Mexico | $37.78 | $78,580 | 6,300 |
| Indiana | $37.36 | $77,720 | 25,660 |
| Wyoming | $37.32 | $77,620 | 2,670 |
| Maine | $37.25 | $77,480 | 3,860 |
| Iowa | $37.23 | $77,440 | 13,210 |
| Tennessee | $36.94 | $76,840 | 27,340 |
| Missouri | $36.82 | $76,590 | 28,000 |
| South Carolina | $36.81 | $76,560 | 15,270 |
| Montana | $36.45 | $75,810 | 4,730 |
| North Dakota | $36.41 | $75,730 | 4,430 |
| Kentucky | $36.19 | $75,270 | 11,930 |
| Alabama | $36.00 | $74,880 | 24,300 |
| Idaho | $35.93 | $74,730 | 5,570 |
| Hawaii | $35.82 | $74,500 | 4,670 |
| Louisiana | $35.49 | $73,810 | 14,050 |
| West Virginia | $35.25 | $73,320 | 4,900 |
| Nebraska | $34.65 | $72,080 | 10,340 |
| Mississippi | $32.74 | $68,100 | 7,350 |
| Arkansas | $31.89 | $66,330 | 7,870 |
Accountants in finance and insurance have the highest median, $93,290, ahead of corporate headquarters — management of companies — at $91,940 and government at $83,350. Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll firms, which employ the most accountants, pay $81,490 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Finance and insurance | $93,290 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | $91,940 |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | $83,350 |
| Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services | $81,490 |
Most accountants and auditors work full time, with longer hours typical at certain times of year, such as quarterly audits and tax season. Most work in offices, some from home, and some travel to clients. Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll firms employ 21% of them, finance and insurance 8%, government 8%, and 5% are self-employed (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
Federal rules say certified public accountants generally meet the duties test for the learned-professional exemption, and many non-CPA accountants doing similar work do too, while bookkeepers and accounting clerks doing routine work generally don't (29 CFR 541.301). An exempt accountant also has to be paid a salary of at least $684 a week (DOL Fact Sheet #17D). So busy-season hours usually aren't paid extra; the table further down shows what they do to your salary per hour.
Most accountants are salaried and exempt, so a 55-hour week in tax season or audit close pays the same as a 40-hour one. The table divides the BLS median and 75th percentile salaries by weekly hours over 52 weeks; for a busy season of a few months, your real figure sits between the 40-hour row and your peak-week row.
| Hours a week | Median salary per hour | 75th percentile per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | $45.98 | $60.34 |
| 40 | $40.23 | $52.79 |
| 45 | $35.76 | $46.93 |
| 50 | $32.18 | $42.23 |
| 55 | $29.26 | $38.40 |
| 60 | $26.82 | $35.20 |
Accountants typically need a bachelor's in accounting or a related field, and some employers prefer a master's. Anyone filing reports with the SEC must be a licensed CPA. CPAs are licensed by their state board of accountancy after passing a national exam; all states require 150 semester hours of college coursework, 30 more than a usual bachelor's, though a master's isn't required. Public accountants can advance to senior, manager or partner (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
More ways to work with your accountant pay:
$83,680 a year ($40.23 an hour) at the BLS median for May 2025. The middle half earned $67,020 to $109,810.
District of Columbia ($53.62 an hour, $111,530 a year), then New York and New Jersey; Arkansas pays least among the 51 states where BLS released a figure (BLS, May 2025).
Usually not. CPAs, and many other accountants doing similar work, meet the duties test for the learned-professional exemption (29 CFR 541.301), and if they're paid a salary of at least $684 a week they're exempt from overtime (DOL Fact Sheet #17D). Bookkeepers and clerks doing routine work generally aren't exempt.
By employer, accountants in finance and insurance have the highest median in the Occupational Outlook Handbook's industry table, then management of companies; accounting and tax-preparation firms have the lowest of the four listed. By state, see the table on this page.
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.