How much does an accountant make?

The median accountant salary in the United States is $83,680 per year ($40.23/hour). Salaries range from $56,020 (10th percentile) to $144,090 (90th percentile). There are 1,449,500 accountant jobs in the U.S. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.

Which state pays accountants the most?

The highest paying state for accountants is District of Columbia at $111,530 median salary.

Is accountant a good career?

Accountant employment is projected to grow 4.6% from 2024 to 2034 (as fast as average). There are approximately 124,200 job openings per year. Typical education required: Bachelor's degree.

What interview questions are asked for accountant roles?

Common accountant interview questions include: "Walk me through the three financial statements.", "A company has a $100M accounts receivable balance that's aging. What are the audit implications?", "Tell me about a time you found an error in your work or someone else's.". Interview format at top employers ranges from behavioral panels (STAR method) to technical case rounds — for example PwC / Deloitte / EY / KPMG (Big 4) typically uses 3-4 rounds.

What is the career ladder for accountants?

The typical accountant career ladder: Staff Accountant / Audit Associate (0-2 yrs, $58k-$75k · Big 4 $65k-$85k + overtime) → Senior Accountant / Senior Auditor (2-5 yrs, $75k-$110k · Big 4 $85k-$125k) → Manager (5-8 yrs, $110k-$160k · Big 4 $130k-$180k) → Senior Manager / Director (8-15 yrs, $150k-$240k + bonus).

What certifications should accountants get?

Top-ROI certifications for accountants: CPA (Certified Public Accountant) ($3,000-$5,000 total (exam fees + prep courses like Becker or Roger).); CMA (Certified Management Accountant) ($1,500-$2,500 total.); CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) ($1,000-$2,500.).

How do you negotiate a accountant salary?

Anchor on documented market data (BLS median $83,680, p75 $109,810), specific outcomes you've delivered, and the specific band for your years of experience. Big 4 entry: base is banded by class year and city. Negotiate on: sign-on bonus ($5-15k typical), start date, and initial office assignment. Corporate exits: With my [X years] at Big 4, my CPA license, and my industry s...

Accountant Salary

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: Accountants and Auditors

The median accountant salary in the United States is $83,680 per year ($40.23/hour). Salaries range from $56,020 at the entry level to $144,090+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 1,449,500 accountant jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 4.6% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asAccountantCPAAuditorStaff AccountantSenior AccountantTax Accountant

Median Salary

$83,680

per year

Hourly Rate

$40.23

per hour

Employment

1,449,500

jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile

$56,020

25th percentile

$67,020

Median

$83,680

75th percentile

$109,810

90th percentile

$144,090

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+4.6%

As fast as average

Annual Openings

124,200

jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Bachelor's degree

Accountant Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for accountants.

Accountants and auditors work across three main tracks: public accounting (Big 4 and mid-size firms — audit, tax, advisory), corporate accounting (in-house at operating companies — FP&A, controllership, tax), and government/non-profit. Big 4 is the training ground: 2-4 years, brutal hours, exit to corporate at a 20-40% pay bump. CPA license is the single most-valuable credential — expected within 3 years for career progression. Employers screen for: GAAP fluency, Excel + ERP proficiency, attention to detail, and (increasingly) data analytics tools like Alteryx or Power BI.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

GAAP (or IFRS if international)

Fluency in accounting standards — revenue recognition (ASC 606), leases (ASC 842), stock comp (ASC 718). Interviewers ask 'walk me through revenue recognition for a SaaS contract.'

Excel mastery

PivotTables, INDEX/MATCH, XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, Power Query. VLOOKUP is table stakes. Ability to build a rolling 12-month forecast without hardcoded numbers.

ERP fluency

NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Workday, or QuickBooks. Ability to navigate financials, pull custom reports, and post journal entries.

Reconciliation discipline

Bank recs, subsidiary ledger to GL, intercompany elimination. Systematic, documented, no shortcuts. Missing recs are how frauds hide.

Audit sampling + testing (audit path)

Understanding of statistical sampling, control testing, substantive procedures. Big 4 hires drilled on this every busy season.

Tax code fluency (tax path)

Federal + state income tax, sales/use tax, transfer pricing. Codes change every year — subscription to CCH or BNA is standard.

Data analytics tools

Alteryx, Tableau, Power BI, Python. Increasingly weighted at big firms as audits become more data-driven.

How to Become a Accountant

1
Bachelor's degree in accounting
Most states require 150 semester units to sit for CPA — either a 5-year BSA program, or bachelor's + master's, or bachelor's + extra coursework.
2
Land the internship
Junior summer at Big 4 or mid-tier. Return offer converts to full-time. Non-target schools require higher GPA (3.5+) + top networking.
3
Start at a public accounting firm
Best training in the industry. Big 4 pays $65-85k base. Mid-tier pays $55-75k. First 2 years is the technical foundation.
4
Pass the CPA exam (4 sections)
AUD, FAR, REG, and BEC (or the new BAR/ISC/TCP effective 2024). ~75% pass rate per section. Aim to finish within 12-18 months of graduation.
5
Get licensed
Requires exam pass + 1-2 years of qualifying work experience under a licensed CPA. State-specific.
6
Exit public at Senior or Manager level
3-5 years is the sweet spot. Corporate roles pay 20-40% more, better hours, worse promotion cadence.

Career Progression

Staff Accountant / Audit Associate

0-2 yrs$58k-$75k · Big 4 $65k-$85k + overtime

•Prepare/audit financial statements
•Test controls, sample transactions, tie out balances
•Book routine journal entries

Next: Senior at year 2-3.

Senior Accountant / Senior Auditor

2-5 yrs$75k-$110k · Big 4 $85k-$125k

•Own audit engagements or accounting cycles
•Review staff work, coach juniors
•Interface with client/CFO on more complex issues

Next: Manager (public) or Senior Accountant/Manager (corporate).

Manager

5-8 yrs$110k-$160k · Big 4 $130k-$180k

•Own client engagements or corporate close cycles
•Manage 3-8 staff
•Own client relationships (public) or business partner (corporate)

Next: Senior Manager, then Director / Partner track.

Senior Manager / Director

8-15 yrs$150k-$240k + bonus

•Own $ multi-million P&L or client portfolio
•Manage teams of 10-30
•Drive strategic finance/audit initiatives

Next: Partner (public) or VP/CFO (corporate).

Partner / VP / CFO

12+ yrsPartner $300k-$1M+ · CFO $200k-$500k+ base + equity

•Own client relationships (partner) or entire finance function (CFO)
•Board reporting, capital allocation

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 13 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through the three financial statements.technical

Income statement: revenue - COGS - operating expenses - interest - tax = net income. Measures a period. Balance sheet: assets = liabilities + equity. Snapshot at a point in time. Cash flow: reconciles net income to change in cash across operations, investing, and financing activities. Explain how they connect: net income flows to retained earnings on the balance sheet; depreciation on the income statement flows through the cash flow statement's operating section. Screening for: financial literacy foundation.

Q2. A company has a $100M accounts receivable balance that's aging. What are the audit implications?technical

Consider: collectibility (need to test allowance for doubtful accounts), completeness (are there sales that should be here but aren't), existence (are these receivables real — confirm with a sample of customers), and cutoff (were they recorded in the right period). Substantive tests: confirmations from customers, subsequent cash receipts test, review aging analysis, review the allowance methodology. Higher risk = larger sample size.

Q3. Tell me about a time you found an error in your work or someone else's.behavioral

STAR. Real error, real correction. Ideal: caught a mispost that would have flowed to a client deliverable or a controls sample selection that was misgrouped. Describe: how you caught it, communicated it up, corrected it. Never say 'I've never made a mistake' or hide errors. Screening for: integrity + attention.

Q4. Why do you want to work at [firm/company] specifically?behavioral

Concrete. Public: 'Your industry practice in [tech/healthcare] is where I want to specialize,' or 'Your training program has a reputation for supporting CPA candidates specifically.' Corporate: 'Your recent IPO / acquisition means the accounting complexity here is exactly where I want to work.' Not: 'I want a Big 4 name on my resume.'

Q5. Depreciation increases by $10 — walk me through the three statements.technical

Income statement: EBIT down $10, tax down $2.5 at 25%, net income down $7.5. Cash flow: NI -$7.5 + depreciation addback $10 = cash from operations +$2.5. Balance sheet: cash up $2.5 (asset), PP&E down $10 (asset), retained earnings down $7.5 (equity). Balances. Interviewers ask this to test whether you actually understand the flow, not just memorized fields.

Resume Template — Staff Accountant / Audit Associate (0-2 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Staff Accountant / Audit Associate (0-2 yrs)

▸Prepared audit workpapers for 8 mid-market clients across the year including tests of controls, substantive procedures, and financial statement tie-outs.
▸Completed 6 monthly close cycles as staff at [corporate role]; reduced average close from 8 to 6 business days by automating 4 recurring journal entries via Power Query.
▸Passed CPA exam sections FAR and AUD within 8 months of hire.
▸Coached 2 summer interns through their tie-out projects; both received full-time return offers.

What Gets You Rejected

✗GPA below 3.3 at target firms without offsetting factors.
✗Missing or delayed CPA progression at year 2+.
✗Vague on technical accounting — can't walk through revenue recognition or the three statements.
✗Bad-mouthing previous engagement teams or clients.
✗Poor Excel — hunting for the pivot table function during a live case.
✗Overselling scope on audit engagements you were a junior on.

Salary Negotiation Levers

✓CPA license (or exam progress) — biggest single lever.
✓Big 4 experience — worth 15-30% at corporate exits.
✓Industry specialty (tech, healthcare, financial services, oil & gas) — commands premium at both public and corporate.
✓Advanced systems (SAP, Oracle, Workday) — valued at large corporates.
✓Data analytics fluency (Alteryx, Tableau, Python) — increasingly valued.
✓MBA or MST (Master of Science in Taxation) — for senior manager+ moves.
✓Sign-on bonus — negotiable at experienced hire and top public accounting entry.

Accountant Resume Review — $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired accountants. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

✓ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
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✓ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
✓ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Accountant Career Kit — $19

✓ All 13 interview questions with expert answers
✓ 12 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
✓ Interview format intel for 5 top employers
✓ 4 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
✓ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
✓ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
✓ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
✓ Detailed salary negotiation script
✓ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
✓ Downloadable PDF for offline access
✓ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription

✓ 7-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked

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Accountant Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) →

Salary Map — Click a state for details

$66K

$112K■ No data

Top Paying States

Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.

State	Median	vs. National	Employment
District of Columbia	$111,530	+33.3%	9,810
New York	$102,640	+22.7%	109,830
New Jersey	$100,830	+20.5%	42,250
Massachusetts	$99,460	+18.9%	46,230
Connecticut	$97,550	+16.6%	16,770
California	$97,050	+16.0%	175,360
Colorado	$97,030	+16.0%	35,410
Washington	$96,550	+15.4%	34,740
Rhode Island	$95,820	+14.5%	6,570
Delaware	$95,020	+13.6%	6,570

Showing 1–10 of 51

Accountant Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs. National
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$121,700	+45.4%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$110,730	+32.3%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$105,650	+26.3%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$102,140	+22.1%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	$102,020	+21.9%
Midland, TX	$100,890	+20.6%
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV	$100,420	+20.0%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$100,150	+19.7%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$100,020	+19.5%
Boulder, CO	$99,990	+19.5%

Showing 1–10 of 396

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.

How does this compare to pro athletes?

A accountant earning $83,680/year would need 712 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 765 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.

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📈 See how accountant salaries have changed over the past decade.

View Accountant salary trend (2011–2024) →