SalaryCPA

CPA compensation intelligence

What CPAs really earn, clearly benchmarked

Search accounting and CPA salaries by state, city, role, and employer — every figure labeled and anchored to a verified national pay benchmark.

By stateBy cityBy roleBy experienceBig 4TaxAuditControllerCalculator
Verified$83.7KNational medianTop-paying state$111.5KDistrict of ColumbiaHighest-paying role$326.4KChief Financial Officer
Search salariesAny state, city, role, or firmCompare payBy state, metro, role & employerEstimate your compBase, bonus, equity & signingDownload the dataVerified national benchmark
How to read the dataVerifiedEstimateUser-submitted

Salary database

Top-paying states for CPAs

Where accountants and CPAs earn the most. Direct BLS wage measurements for every state — explore all 50 states plus DC.

All 50 states & DC
  1. 1
    District of Columbia$111,530
    +33.3%
  2. 2
    New York$102,640
    +22.7%
  3. 3
    New Jersey$100,830
    +20.5%
  4. 4
    Massachusetts$99,460
    +18.9%
  5. 5
    Connecticut$97,550
    +16.6%
  6. 6
    California$97,050
    +16.0%
  7. 7
    Colorado$97,030
    +16.0%
  8. 8
    Washington$96,550
    +15.4%

Reading the rails

Each bar is a state’s BLS-measured median for accountants & CPAs, relative to the top state. The chip shows the gap to the $83,680 national benchmark — green above, amber below.

Highest state
$111.5K
District of Columbia
Coverage
51
states + DC
Open the state database
New · buying-power analysis

The highest-paying state isn’t the highest once you adjust for cost of living

We restate every verified salary in national-average price terms using BEA Regional Price Parities. The map reshuffles: Iowa climbs 24 places while New Hampshire drops 29. See which states and metros let a CPA salary stretch the furthest — and which high-pay markets give it back to rent.

Explore real pay by state & metro
Top real pay
$101.5K
District of Columbia
Biggest climber
+24
Iowa
Biggest faller
-29
New Hampshire

By role

CPA pay by role

How pay climbs the accounting ladder, from staff to CFO.

  1. 1
    Staff Accountant$65,300
  2. 2
    Tax Associate$68,600
  3. 3
    Audit Associate$69,500
  4. 4
    Senior Accountant$85,400
  5. 5
    Tax Senior$90,400
  6. 6
    Audit Senior$92,000
  7. 7
    Accounting Manager$118,800

All roles

By city

CPA pay by metro

Highest-paying metros — pay tracks the local cost of labor.

  1. 1
    San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$121,700
    +45.4%
  2. 2
    San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$110,730
    +32.3%
  3. 3
    New York-Newark-Jersey City$105,650
    +26.3%
  4. 4
    Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$102,140
    +22.1%
  5. 5
    Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury$102,020
    +21.9%
  6. 6
    Midland$100,890
    +20.6%
  7. 7
    Parkersburg-Vienna$100,420
    +20.0%

All metros

Verified benchmark

The national salary distribution

The verified national percentile range for accountants & CPAs — toggle a modeled CPA-credential adjustment to see the estimated premium.

National · Accountants & auditors

Verified
$83,680median / year

$40.23/hr median hourly · $94,750 average

High confidence
$56KNational · 10th–90th percentile$144.1K

Source: OEWS May 2025 — Accountants and Auditors (13-2011)

How SalaryCPA estimates pay

Verified where measured, modeled where not — always labeled.

  1. 01

    Measured pay

    National, state, and metro pay for accountants & CPAs comes straight from the federal wage measurement (BLS OEWS).

  2. 02

    Documented adjustments

    Role, experience, credential, and employer multipliers model what BLS does not break out — each labeled Estimate.

  3. 03

    Real submissions

    Moderated, anonymized salaries sharpen the numbers over time as they accumulate.

Read the full methodology Submit your salary Open the calculator

CPA salary FAQ

How much does a CPA make?
The national median wage for accountants and auditors is $83,680 per year (verified national benchmark, May 2025). Licensed CPAs typically earn above this — a modeled 10–15% license premium — and no source publishes a CPA-only wage.
Which state and role pay CPAs the most?
Among states, District of Columbia leads at $111,530 median — a direct BLS wage measurement. Across roles, Chief Financial Officer tops the ladder near $326,400; role figures are modeled estimates, since BLS does not break pay out by role.
Is SalaryCPA data verified or estimated?
Both, clearly labeled. National, state, and metro wages are Verified — direct BLS OEWS measurements for accountants and auditors at each area level. Role, experience, employer-type, and CPA-credential figures are Estimates modeled on top of them, because the federal data does not break those out. We never present an estimate as a measurement.
How do I find CPA pay for my situation?
Search a state, city, or role above, or use the CPA salary calculator to model your pay by role, experience, license, location, employer, and industry — then compare it to local and national benchmarks.

For accounting firms & employers: reach CPAs and benchmark your pay bands.