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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

13-2011 Accountants and Auditors

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. Excludes "Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents" (13-2081).


National estimates for Accountants and Auditors
Industry profile for Accountants and Auditors
Geographic profile for Accountants and Auditors

National estimates for Accountants and Auditors:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Accountants and Auditors:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
1,274,620 0.5 % $ 39.26 $ 81,660 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Accountants and Auditors:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 21.74 $ 27.46 $ 35.37 $ 46.89 $ 61.87
Annual Wage (2) $ 45,220 $ 57,110 $ 73,560 $ 97,530 $ 128,680


Industry profile for Accountants and Auditors:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Accountants and Auditors are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Accountants and Auditors, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Accountants and Auditors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services 339,020 34.58 $ 40.89 $ 85,050
Management of Companies and Enterprises 97,250 4.02 $ 39.79 $ 82,770
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 46,060 0.85 $ 34.33 $ 71,420
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 41,780 1.90 $ 32.91 $ 68,460
Real Estate 36,180 2.19 $ 37.68 $ 78,370

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Accountants and Auditors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services 339,020 34.58 $ 40.89 $ 85,050
Oil and Gas Extraction 8,170 6.56 $ 44.49 $ 92,530
Other Investment Pools and Funds 560 5.23 $ 41.29 $ 85,880
Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds 310 4.39 $ 40.83 $ 84,930
Office Administrative Services 20,340 4.08 $ 38.05 $ 79,140

Top paying industries for Accountants and Auditors:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing 3,910 2.44 $ 54.17 $ 112,680
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 22,160 1.06 $ 50.95 $ 105,980
School and Employee Bus Transportation 120 0.07 $ 50.51 $ 105,060
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities 31,450 3.34 $ 49.05 $ 102,020
Other Information Services 4,660 1.34 $ 47.99 $ 99,810


Geographic profile for Accountants and Auditors:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Accountants and Auditors are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Accountants and Auditors, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Employment of Accountants and Auditors, by state, May 2020


States with the highest employment level in Accountants and Auditors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 150,050 9.13 1.00 $ 42.37 $ 88,130
New York 112,360 12.93 1.41 $ 48.77 $ 101,440
Texas 109,470 9.05 0.99 $ 38.54 $ 80,170
Florida 73,690 8.73 0.95 $ 36.04 $ 74,960
Pennsylvania 50,240 9.11 0.99 $ 37.41 $ 77,810


Location Quotient of Accountants and Auditors, by state, May 2020


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Accountants and Auditors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 10,050 14.62 1.60 $ 52.95 $ 110,140
Colorado 36,470 14.15 1.54 $ 40.93 $ 85,120
New York 112,360 12.93 1.41 $ 48.77 $ 101,440
South Dakota 4,940 12.01 1.31 $ 33.26 $ 69,170
Virginia 43,550 11.77 1.28 $ 42.01 $ 87,380


Annual mean wage of Accountants and Auditors by state, May 2020


Top paying states for Accountants and Auditors:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 10,050 14.62 1.60 $ 52.95 $ 110,140
New York 112,360 12.93 1.41 $ 48.77 $ 101,440
New Jersey 39,060 10.33 1.13 $ 46.28 $ 96,260
Massachusetts 34,710 10.36 1.13 $ 42.71 $ 88,830
California 150,050 9.13 1.00 $ 42.37 $ 88,130



Employment of Accountants and Auditors, by area, May 2020


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Accountants and Auditors:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 119,910 13.57 1.48 $ 50.83 $ 105,720
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 61,740 10.60 1.16 $ 40.22 $ 83,660
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 42,080 9.65 1.05 $ 37.81 $ 78,640
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 41,890 13.86 1.51 $ 47.13 $ 98,030
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 37,040 10.32 1.13 $ 40.31 $ 83,850
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 31,270 10.53 1.15 $ 40.30 $ 83,820
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 30,130 11.58 1.26 $ 43.60 $ 90,690
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 29,540 10.96 1.20 $ 41.21 $ 85,720
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 27,090 10.80 1.18 $ 38.52 $ 80,110
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 25,740 9.77 1.07 $ 42.18 $ 87,730


Location Quotient of Accountants and Auditors, by area, May 2020


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Accountants and Auditors:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 620 18.12 1.98 $ 39.61 $ 82,400
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 24,390 16.74 1.83 $ 42.62 $ 88,650
Midland, TX 1,610 16.16 1.76 $ 49.58 $ 103,120
Bay City, MI 480 15.71 1.71 $ 36.08 $ 75,050
Boulder, CO 2,810 15.51 1.69 $ 40.09 $ 83,380
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 5,560 14.76 1.61 $ 45.08 $ 93,780
Montgomery, AL 2,260 14.57 1.59 $ 33.34 $ 69,350
Bismarck, ND 990 14.53 1.59 $ 32.73 $ 68,080
Birmingham-Hoover, AL 7,180 14.42 1.57 $ 36.85 $ 76,650
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 15,360 13.92 1.52 $ 49.48 $ 102,920


Annual mean wage of Accountants and Auditors, by area, May 2020


Top paying metropolitan areas for Accountants and Auditors:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Salinas, CA 690 4.02 0.44 $ 53.69 $ 111,680
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 119,910 13.57 1.48 $ 50.83 $ 105,720
Midland, TX 1,610 16.16 1.76 $ 49.58 $ 103,120
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 15,360 13.92 1.52 $ 49.48 $ 102,920
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 24,510 10.52 1.15 $ 48.60 $ 101,090
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 41,890 13.86 1.51 $ 47.13 $ 98,030
Midland, MI 250 7.96 0.87 $ 45.28 $ 94,170
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 5,560 14.76 1.61 $ 45.08 $ 93,780
Lima, OH 260 5.60 0.61 $ 44.91 $ 93,410
Santa Rosa, CA 1,730 8.95 0.98 $ 44.34 $ 92,220

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Accountants and Auditors:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 3,070 8.10 0.88 $ 30.52 $ 63,480
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 1,920 6.16 0.67 $ 33.74 $ 70,180
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 1,550 6.50 0.71 $ 33.44 $ 69,550
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,480 5.52 0.60 $ 32.30 $ 67,180
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 1,470 5.98 0.65 $ 33.03 $ 68,690

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Accountants and Auditors:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 700 12.04 1.31 $ 30.52 $ 63,470
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 1,350 11.80 1.29 $ 44.87 $ 93,330
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 700 11.44 1.25 $ 26.01 $ 54,090
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 1,070 10.73 1.17 $ 39.17 $ 81,460
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 690 10.48 1.14 $ 33.26 $ 69,180

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Accountants and Auditors:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 1,350 11.80 1.29 $ 44.87 $ 93,330
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 360 6.50 0.71 $ 40.55 $ 84,340
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 1,070 10.73 1.17 $ 39.17 $ 81,460
North Georgia nonmetropolitan area 640 3.87 0.42 $ 37.72 $ 78,460
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 430 5.72 0.62 $ 37.26 $ 77,490


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021