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The national median salary for Accountants & Auditors is $85,925 per year ($41.31/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $65,562 and $118,435 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $163,654 per year. There are approximately 1,438,000 accountants & 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
347K
$80,510
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
105K
$86,010
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
51K
$78,490
Real Estate
NAICS 531000
46K
$79,940
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
43K
$74,660
Wage range across top 5 industries: $74,660 to $86,010 (15% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$23.66
$49,213
P25
$31.52
$65,562
P50MEDIAN
$41.31
$85,925
P75
$56.94
$118,435
P90
$78.68
$163,654
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · finance sector
Hot
Openings Rate
6.0%
Quits Rate
1.2%
Finance and Insurance openings surged to 428K (+98K) in March, pushing the openings rate to 6.0% -- the highest in any major sector. Quits ticked up to 1.2%. Demand for finance talent has reaccelerated sharply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average accountants & auditors salary?
The national median salary for Accountants & Auditors is $85,925 per year ($41.31/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $65,562 and $118,435 annually.
How much do top-earning accountants & auditors make?
The 90th percentile salary for Accountants & Auditors is $163,654 per year ($78.68/hr). The 75th percentile is $118,435 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for accountants & auditors?
Entry-level Accountants & Auditors (10th percentile) earn approximately $49,213 per year ($23.66/hr). The 25th percentile is $65,562 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 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.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.