At a glance
Median pay for Accountants and Auditors runs from $65,810 in Little Rock to $121,700 in San Jose across 75 curated metros; the middle value is $80,820.
After the BEA 2024 price adjustment, the top three are San Jose ($110,213), San Francisco ($95,776), Bridgeport ($95,467).
These are workforce estimates from published medians, not job offers or expected hiring pay.
Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate
Accountants and Auditors salary comparison
Accounting pay mixes audit, tax, corporate finance and public practice. Credentials and sector can explain differences that broad metro medians cannot. 75 of 75 curated metros have a reported occupation median. The table is sorted by the site-calculated adjusted metric, not by predicted hiring demand.
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| Metropolitan area | Median annual wage | Adjusted median* | Median gross rent / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $121,700 | $110,213 | $2,840 |
| San Francisco, CA | $110,730 | $95,776 | $2,474 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $102,020 | $95,467 | $1,875 |
| Charlotte, NC–SC | $92,910 | $95,441 | $1,473 |
| Denver, CO | $100,020 | $94,553 | $1,874 |
| New York, NY–NJ | $105,650 | $93,859 | $1,830 |
| Washington, DC–VA–MD–WV | $102,140 | $93,806 | $2,027 |
| Hartford, CT | $95,940 | $93,376 | $1,416 |
| Providence, RI–MA | $95,020 | $93,365 | $1,307 |
| Boston, MA–NH | $100,150 | $92,504 | $2,023 |
| Worcester, MA | $94,070 | $91,755 | $1,426 |
| Tulsa, OK | $81,320 | $91,152 | $1,078 |
| Seattle, WA | $99,370 | $89,415 | $2,000 |
| Portland, OR–WA | $92,200 | $87,459 | $1,724 |
| Durham, NC | $85,090 | $87,207 | $1,466 |
| Kansas City, MO–KS | $80,040 | $86,490 | $1,249 |
| Des Moines, IA | $79,290 | $86,466 | $1,150 |
| Sacramento, CA | $92,110 | $86,350 | $1,819 |
| Greensboro, NC | $80,170 | $86,330 | $1,093 |
| Houston, TX | $85,090 | $86,273 | $1,430 |
Show all 75 metros with a reported median
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| Metropolitan area | Median annual wage | Adjusted median* | Median gross rent / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $121,700 | $110,213 | $2,840 |
| San Francisco, CA | $110,730 | $95,776 | $2,474 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $102,020 | $95,467 | $1,875 |
| Charlotte, NC–SC | $92,910 | $95,441 | $1,473 |
| Denver, CO | $100,020 | $94,553 | $1,874 |
| New York, NY–NJ | $105,650 | $93,859 | $1,830 |
| Washington, DC–VA–MD–WV | $102,140 | $93,806 | $2,027 |
| Hartford, CT | $95,940 | $93,376 | $1,416 |
| Providence, RI–MA | $95,020 | $93,365 | $1,307 |
| Boston, MA–NH | $100,150 | $92,504 | $2,023 |
| Worcester, MA | $94,070 | $91,755 | $1,426 |
| Tulsa, OK | $81,320 | $91,152 | $1,078 |
| Seattle, WA | $99,370 | $89,415 | $2,000 |
| Portland, OR–WA | $92,200 | $87,459 | $1,724 |
| Durham, NC | $85,090 | $87,207 | $1,466 |
| Kansas City, MO–KS | $80,040 | $86,490 | $1,249 |
| Des Moines, IA | $79,290 | $86,466 | $1,150 |
| Sacramento, CA | $92,110 | $86,350 | $1,819 |
| Greensboro, NC | $80,170 | $86,330 | $1,093 |
| Houston, TX | $85,090 | $86,273 | $1,430 |
| San Diego, CA | $96,340 | $86,105 | $2,246 |
| Richmond, VA | $84,220 | $86,063 | $1,447 |
| Birmingham, AL | $78,660 | $85,832 | $1,172 |
| Atlanta, GA | $85,820 | $85,770 | $1,672 |
| Buffalo, NY | $82,120 | $85,681 | $1,057 |
| Columbus, OH | $81,700 | $85,578 | $1,274 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $77,280 | $85,479 | $1,124 |
| Dayton, OH | $79,030 | $85,259 | $1,039 |
| Cleveland, OH | $80,000 | $85,176 | $1,050 |
| Albany, NY | $84,660 | $85,029 | $1,280 |
| Austin, TX | $83,120 | $84,759 | $1,726 |
| Cincinnati, OH–KY–IN | $80,640 | $84,555 | $1,105 |
| New Orleans, LA | $77,940 | $84,171 | $1,217 |
| Philadelphia, PA–NJ–DE–MD | $85,990 | $83,849 | $1,480 |
| Omaha, NE–IA | $77,030 | $83,809 | $1,192 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $79,880 | $83,604 | $1,156 |
| Memphis, TN–MS–AR | $76,960 | $83,490 | $1,220 |
| Raleigh, NC | $81,950 | $83,489 | $1,573 |
| Madison, WI | $81,130 | $83,392 | $1,354 |
| Rochester, NY | $80,890 | $83,362 | $1,143 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $94,360 | $83,088 | $2,063 |
| San Antonio, TX | $78,650 | $83,038 | $1,363 |
| St. Louis, MO–IL | $78,880 | $82,955 | $1,113 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $79,290 | $82,856 | $1,191 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $80,290 | $82,827 | $1,139 |
| Minneapolis, MN–WI | $86,500 | $82,521 | $1,440 |
| Greenville, SC | $76,870 | $82,425 | $1,150 |
| Louisville, KY–IN | $76,320 | $81,999 | $1,116 |
| Baltimore, MD | $85,160 | $81,503 | $1,611 |
| Knoxville, TN | $75,380 | $81,431 | $1,145 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $82,100 | $81,394 | $1,583 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $76,940 | $81,271 | $1,053 |
| Virginia Beach, VA–NC | $79,450 | $81,120 | $1,478 |
| Nashville, TN | $78,080 | $81,048 | $1,528 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $73,070 | $80,491 | $1,135 |
| Detroit, MI | $80,650 | $80,410 | $1,207 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $79,960 | $80,375 | $1,513 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $80,530 | $80,357 | $1,626 |
| Dallas, TX | $82,620 | $80,144 | $1,614 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | $76,270 | $79,825 | $1,202 |
| Chicago, IL–IN | $82,360 | $79,502 | $1,430 |
| North Port, FL | $81,090 | $79,176 | $1,747 |
| Riverside, CA | $83,920 | $78,841 | $1,846 |
| Tucson, AZ | $76,320 | $78,765 | $1,212 |
| Charleston, SC | $79,350 | $78,594 | $1,605 |
| Allentown, PA–NJ | $78,430 | $78,455 | $1,365 |
| Tampa, FL | $78,990 | $78,293 | $1,628 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $80,820 | $78,226 | $1,702 |
| Boise City, ID | $76,700 | $77,954 | $1,487 |
| Orlando, FL | $78,630 | $77,531 | $1,760 |
| Fresno, CA | $78,690 | $77,028 | $1,392 |
| Columbia, SC | $69,210 | $73,893 | $1,193 |
| Little Rock, AR | $65,810 | $73,643 | $1,055 |
| Miami, FL | $80,920 | $70,886 | $1,869 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $74,990 | $67,582 | $2,083 |
The table shows the 20 highest adjusted medians; the full list of 75 metros is expandable above. The price-adjusted wage equals the BLS May 2025 annual occupational median × 100 ÷ the BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity. Census rent, household income and commuting figures are ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. They describe different populations and do not determine take-home pay, employment prospects or individual rent. ACS gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated utility and fuel costs.
How pay for Accountants and Auditors varies across metros
Across the 75 curated metros with a reported median, the nominal annual median for Accountants and Auditors runs from $65,810 in Little Rock to $121,700 in San Jose, a 1.85× difference. After dividing each median by its metro’s BEA price parity, the range is $67,582 in Urban Honolulu to $110,213 in San Jose, a 1.63× difference. The middle value across these metros is $80,820 nominal and $83,489 adjusted.
The price adjustment changes the order. Out of 75 metros, Oklahoma City moves from 62nd on nominal pay to 27th on adjusted pay while Riverside moves from 25th to 63rd. These ranks compare published medians only, not openings or offers.
Beyond the median: published wage percentiles
The following six metros lead this curated set on the price-adjusted median measure. The five annual wage statistics are the original BLS estimates; they have not been price-adjusted. They illustrate the estimated wage distribution for the same occupation and geographic unit.
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| Metropolitan area | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $78,440 | $96,430 | $121,700 | $156,700 | $196,890 |
| San Francisco, CA | $73,420 | $88,820 | $110,730 | $143,590 | $180,060 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $69,290 | $82,020 | $102,020 | $133,790 | $167,610 |
| Charlotte, NC–SC | $59,200 | $72,420 | $92,910 | $129,000 | $167,330 |
| Denver, CO | $63,550 | $78,130 | $100,020 | $130,870 | $165,010 |
| New York, NY–NJ | $71,850 | $82,830 | $105,650 | $137,490 | $174,750 |
Percentiles describe a distribution, not an individual’s pay; suppressed values are marked Unavailable.
National career outlook and entry requirements
The BLS projects national employment for Accountants and auditors from 2025 to 2035. These occupational projections are national; they do not forecast openings in any particular metro area.
Among the 80 occupations curated on this site, projected 2025–2035 growth of +5.0% ranks 40th (the middle value is +5.0%), and about 115,300 projected annual openings rank 12th. This compares only the occupations on this site and does not predict hiring in any one metro.
The BLS lists no related work experience as typically required for entry. It lists no typical on-the-job training. National employment base: 1,595,200 workers in 2025; projected 1,674,600 in 2035.
Openings are projected national totals, including replacements, not job ads or local vacancies. Education and training categories are typical patterns; licensing varies by role. BLS 2025–2035 Occupational Projections, Table 1.2. Read the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
What to check for this occupation before moving
How roles can differ: Accounting jobs cover audit, tax, reporting and operational finance across firms and in-house teams. Public-accounting busy seasons and corporate reporting schedules may create different work demands within the same occupation category.
Questions to ask about a real offer: Check whether a CPA or another credential is actually required for the offer and whether a state transition affects your eligibility. Compare deadlines, peak-season hours, promotion expectations and reimbursement for credential-related costs.
This is editorial guidance, not a claim that every employer or state follows these practices; verify terms with the employer and relevant authorities.
What this occupation median does—and does not—tell you
BLS OEWS wages are employer-reported estimates for wage-and-salary jobs, so self-employment income is not included. Annual figures assume a 2,080-hour year. Wages include commissions and tips but exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. A median is neither a new-hire salary nor a vacancy count.
Regional price parities compare overall price levels with the U.S. average; housing data come from a different survey and are not subtracted again from the wage. Missing wages and suppressed percentiles stay unavailable. See the methodology for details.
Salary for Accountants and Auditors in Philadelphia, PA–NJ–DE–MD
Philadelphia is shown as a worked example (one of the larger metros on this site); it is not a recommendation, and the table above lists every metro with a reported median. Of 75 metros, it ranks 18th on nominal median and 34th on price-adjusted median.
For the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro, the May 2025 BLS annual occupational median is $85,990. The published 25th-to-75th-percentile wage interval is $73,370 to $110,420. The price-adjusted median of $83,849 applies the BEA 2024 all-items index of 102.6 (U.S. = 100). It does not reflect an employer offer, taxes or your individual household costs.
The ACS metro-wide gross-rent median is $1,480 per month; with an ACS margin of error of ±$8. Gross rent includes estimated utilities and covers renters generally, not workers in this occupation. For a data-driven contrast, Omaha has a published BLS median of $77,030 and adjusted median of $83,809. This comparison metro has the closest observed adjusted median in our curated set. This does not establish similar rents or local job conditions. Compare Philadelphia with Omaha in the interactive tool, or review the Philadelphia metro profile for income, housing uncertainty and commute context.
Before relying on a quoted salary, confirm that the job matches this BLS occupation and that pay period, hours and benefits are comparable.