How much should I pay a accountants and auditors in 2026?

A competitive 2026 offer for Accountants and Auditors is $83,678 to $109,824 (market median to the 75th percentile). BLS ECI shows financial activities wages growing about 3.1% a year, so budget a similar annual increase to stay at market.

Is a salary competitive for a accountants and auditors?

Compare it to the BLS OEWS range: below $67,018 is below market, $83,678 to $109,824 is competitive, and above $109,824 is above market for Accountants and Auditors.

How is accountants and auditors pay changing in 2026?

Median pay for this role rose 2.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.1% wage growth of Finance & Insurance (BLS ECI). Finance & Insurance is running a 4.3% job-openings rate with quits at 0.9% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted down from 6.1% to 4.3% over the past quarter.

Accountants and Auditors Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 13-2011 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary

$83,678

$40.23/hr

Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Accountants and Auditors salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

Check a salary or offer:$Competitive · ~P50

P10$56K

P25$67K

P50$84K

P75$110K

P90$144K

Drag the dot or type an amount above.

⚡

Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- finance & insurance openings are at 4.3% (JOLTS, June 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.

📈

Merit budget: Wages in financial activities are rising about 3.1% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.7-3.2% merit increase to hold this role at market.

Our read

For a competitive 2026 offer, target $83,678 to $109,824 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.

Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Accountants and Auditors pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 2.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.1% wage growth of Finance & Insurance (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · MODERATE

Finance & Insurance is running a 4.3% job-openings rate with quits at 0.9% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted down from 6.1% to 4.3% over the past quarter.

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 2.6 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.

What changed recently

Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings whipsawed up to 4.3%, but quits fell to 0.9%, the lowest of any sector. Workers are staying put.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 3.1% per year, a sharp slowdown from 4.1% the prior quarter.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026

Next refresh: May 2027

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The national median salary for Accountants and Auditors is $83,678 per year ($40.23/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $67,018 and $109,824 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $144,082 per year. There are approximately 1,449,500 accountants and auditors employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Install or advise on systems of recording costs or other financial and budgetary data.

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034

10-year growth

+4.6%

Faster than average

Annual openings

124K

per year, on avg

Workforce today

1.6M

as of 2024

Why those openings exist

6% from new growth94% from people leaving the role

Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.

Typical entry requirements

Education

Bachelor's degree

Experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Industry Wage Breakdown

Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific

Industry	Workforce	Median Pay
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services NAICS 541200	331K	$81,490
Management of Companies and Enterprises NAICS 551100	105K	$91,940
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999300	52K	$80,310
Real Estate NAICS 531000	47K	$87,580
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services NAICS 541600	46K	$91,720

Wage range across top 5 industries: $80,310 to $91,940 (14% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)

Percentile	Hourly Rate	Annual Salary
P10	$26.93	$56,014
P25	$32.22	$67,018
P50MEDIAN	$40.23	$83,678
P75	$52.80	$109,824
P90	$69.27	$144,082

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · finance sector

Active

Openings Rate

4.3%

Quits Rate

0.9%

Finance and Insurance openings rebounded 43K to 303K in June, rate up from 3.7% to 4.3% -- a volatile series this year. Quits fell to 0.9%, the lowest of any major sector, so workers are staying put and wage pressure stays muted despite the openings pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average accountants and auditors salary?

The national median salary for Accountants and Auditors is $83,678 per year ($40.23/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $67,018 and $109,824 annually.

How much do top-earning accountants and auditors make?

The 90th percentile salary for Accountants and Auditors is $144,082 per year ($69.27/hr). The 75th percentile is $109,824 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for accountants and auditors?

Entry-level Accountants and Auditors (10th percentile) earn approximately $56,014 per year ($26.93/hr). The 25th percentile is $67,018 per year.

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Accountants and Auditors Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment

California175,360 workers Texas116,470 workers New York109,830 workers Florida91,000 workers Illinois54,930 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.

P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.

Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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