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Accountants and Auditors Salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont

SOC 13-2011 · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · BLS OEWS May 2025

Median Annual Salary
$110,739
$53.24/hr
32.3% higher than the US national median ($83,678)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Accountants and Auditors salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont in 2026?

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

$Competitive · ~P50
P10$73K
P25$89K
P50$111K
P75$144K
P90$180K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
⚡
Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- finance & insurance openings are at 5.0% (JOLTS, August 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 $110,739 to $143,582 (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 5.0% job-openings rate with quits at 1.0% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has tightened for 3 straight months (3.7% up to 5.0%).

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
  • Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings rose to 5.0% (up 49K; July revised up to 4.4%). Quits eased to 1.0%, so workers are still staying put.
  • Sep 1, 2026JOLTS July 2026: sector openings flat at 4.1% for a second month (June revised down from 4.3%). Quits ticked up to 1.2%; layoffs fell 22K. Settling, not tightening.
  • 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.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS August 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 median salary for Accountants and Auditors in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont is $110,739 per year ($53.24/hr). This is 32.3% higher than the national median of $83,678.

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.

Wage Percentiles: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · BLS metro data
PercentileHourly RateAnnual Salaryvs National
P10Entry level$35.30$73,424+31.1%
P25$42.70$88,816+32.5%
P50MEDIAN$53.24$110,739+32.3%
P75$69.03$143,582+30.7%
P90Top earners$86.57$180,066+25.0%

How San Francisco compares for Accountants and Auditors

Computed from this metro's own BLS distribution against national

Pay for Accountants and Auditors in San Francisco sits above the national range at every level: +31.1% at entry, +32.3% at the median and +25.0% at the top. The gap is larger at entry than at the top.

An offer at the national median of $83,678 would sit at about the 20th percentile in San Francisco.

The top of the range earns 2.45 times the bottom here, close to the 2.57 times seen nationally.

San Francisco employs 25,170 people in this role, 1.7% of the national total.

Median for this role, nearby on the pay ladder
San Francisco (this page)$110,739
New York$105,664
Los Angeles$94,349
Ordered by BLS median. Shows only metros with published local data for this role.

What employers filed for Accountants and Auditors in San Francisco

US Department of Labor, Labor Condition Applications · FY2026 Q3 (decisions 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Jun 2026)

Across 396 filings, the median base salary employers stated for this role in San Francisco was $125,868, which sits at P62 on the San Francisco BLS pay curve.

What this is, and is not. These are base salaries stated on Labor Condition Applications for visa-sponsored roles, floored by prevailing-wage rules: offered pay on a legal form, not a payroll extract, and base only, with no bonus or equity. It shows how employers position pay for the role, not what the whole market pays.

See which named employers pay above and below the market in San Francisco →
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P10–P90 breakdown, career outlook, industry wages, and JOLTS market signal for Accountants and Auditors
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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 2 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
IndustryWorkforce Median Pay
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services
NAICS 541200
331K$81,490
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
105K$91,940
Wage range across top 5 industries: $81,490 to $91,940 (13% spread)
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the median accountants and auditors salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?

The median (P50) annual salary for Accountants and Auditors in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont is approximately $110,739, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 32.3% higher than the national median of $83,678. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.

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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 →

About CompSignal

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