Accountant Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

A count of all the accountants in the US adds up to about 1,274,000 positions. The jobless rate for workers is rated as very low. Approximately 2% of employees were not able to obtain work in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Accountants are most common (per capita) in Tallahassee (Florida), Santa Fe (New Mexico), and Bridgeport (Connecticut), and least common in Warner Robins (Georgia), Jacksonville (North Carolina), and Hot Springs (Arkansas).

San Jose (California), Bethesda (Maryland), and New York (New York) offer the highest pay for this career, and Fort Smith (Arkansas), Hot Springs (Arkansas), and Lawton (Oklahoma) offer the lowest salaries.

Training and Education

A bachelor's degree is suggested for those who want to pursue this career. About 79% of accountants have earned a degree. Those that started college, but did not earn a bachelor's degree, represent about 17% of workers. Employees with a high school education, but no college education, are about 4% of the total. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Government stats show that 9% of accountants are working part-time. Workers who are self-employed total about 10%.

Accountants: An Introductory Video

Accountants Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of accountants compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for accountants.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$61,000	4,730
Montgomery	$56,000	2,030
Huntsville	$63,000	1,580
Mobile	$51,000	1,170
Tuscaloosa	$55,000	450
Decatur	$47,000	330
Dothan	$66,000	320
Florence	$49,000	280
Auburn	$50,000	240
Gadsden	$46,000	220
Anniston	$52,000	170

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$66,000	1,090
Fairbanks	$59,000	200

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$56,000	18,050
Tucson	$67,000	2,870
Prescott	$58,000	350
Flagstaff	$47,000	340
Yuma	$56,000	300
Kingman	$54,000	240

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$54,000	2,270
Fayetteville	$51,000	930
Fort Smith	$46,000	540
Jonesboro	$48,000	230
Pine Bluff	$50,000	140
Hot Springs	$47,000	90

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
San Francisco	$78,000	14,380
Santa Ana	$71,000	13,810
San Jose	$83,000	10,600
San Diego	$66,000	10,080
Oakland	$75,000	8,810
Sacramento	$65,000	6,700
Riverside	$63,000	6,190
Oxnard	$67,000	2,350
Fresno	$59,000	1,750
Santa Rosa	$68,000	1,220
Bakersfield	$62,000	1,020
Modesto	$59,000	970
Santa Barbara	$72,000	940
Salinas	$65,000	880
Stockton	$68,000	870
Visalia	$61,000	690
Vallejo	$60,000	640
Santa Cruz	$63,000	580
San Luis Obispo	$70,000	420
Redding	$67,000	370
Napa	$75,000	340
El Centro	$50,000	300
Chico	$57,000	250
Merced	$55,000	210
Yuba City	$55,000	150
Madera	$60,000	150
Hanford	$63,000	80

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$68,000	18,270
Colorado Springs	$67,000	2,460
Boulder	$72,000	1,950
Fort Collins	$63,000	1,090
Greeley	$60,000	590
Grand Junction	$53,000	500
Pueblo	$62,000	320

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Bridgeport	$82,000	7,240
Hartford	$68,000	6,140
New Haven	$70,000	1,850
Norwich	$56,000	720
Danbury	$66,000	570
Waterbury	$63,000	340

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$71,000	4,160
Dover	$55,000	470

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$76,000	30,520

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Tampa	$59,000	12,530
Miami	$64,000	11,900
Orlando	$59,000	9,290
Fort Lauderdale	$66,000	8,430
West Palm Beach	$67,000	5,780
Jacksonville	$59,000	5,290
Tallahassee	$51,000	3,530
Sarasota	$58,000	2,440
Cape Coral	$60,000	1,750
Palm Bay	$61,000	1,650
Lakeland	$61,000	1,460
Pensacola	$59,000	1,260
Naples	$76,000	1,160
Gainesville	$54,000	1,130
Deltona	$55,000	1,070
Port St Lucie	$58,000	980
Fort Walton Beach	$63,000	550
Ocala	$54,000	490
Panama City	$58,000	410
Sebastian	$65,000	370
Punta Gorda	$48,000	260
Palm Coast	$54,000	100

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$70,000	22,380
Augusta	$63,000	1,320
Savannah	$60,000	890
Columbus	$60,000	610
Macon	$59,000	550
Athens	$53,000	470
Gainesville	$57,000	330
Dalton	$69,000	320
Albany	$70,000	300
Valdosta	$55,000	240
Brunswick	$64,000	160
Rome	$62,000	140
Warner Robins	$67,000	140

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$55,000	4,260

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$53,000	1,420
Idaho Falls	$62,000	390
Coeur Dalene	$47,000	210
Lewiston	$53,000	160
Pocatello	$73,000	160

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$71,000	37,770
Springfield	$60,000	1,190
Peoria	$63,000	1,000
Rockford	$60,000	920
Bloomington	$59,000	610
Champaign	$60,000	550
Decatur	$61,000	390
Kankakee	$55,000	150
Danville	$50,000	140

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$64,000	8,580
Fort Wayne	$62,000	1,460
Gary	$58,000	1,330
South Bend	$58,000	920
Evansville	$56,000	860
Elkhart	$60,000	590
Bloomington	$49,000	420
Lafayette	$58,000	390
Terre Haute	$66,000	340
Columbus	$61,000	300
Michigan City	$53,000	220
Muncie	$58,000	210
Anderson	$62,000	130
Kokomo	$63,000	120

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$58,000	3,280
Davenport	$60,000	1,510
Cedar Rapids	$56,000	1,250
Iowa City	$50,000	490
Sioux City	$55,000	470
Waterloo	$53,000	430
Dubuque	$57,000	280
Ames	$53,000	260

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$56,000	2,270
Topeka	$53,000	1,320
Lawrence	$56,000	310

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$58,000	3,980
Lexington	$57,000	1,520
Bowling Green	$51,000	320
Owensboro	$56,000	210
Elizabethtown	$66,000	140

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$56,000	3,950
Baton Rouge	$55,000	2,510
Shreveport	$50,000	940
Lafayette	$55,000	840
Lake Charles	$48,000	490
Monroe	$49,000	420
Houma	$48,000	400
Alexandria	$63,000	230

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$56,000	1,640
Lewiston	$61,000	400
Bangor	$65,000	340

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$71,000	12,050
Bethesda	$83,000	7,430
Hagerstown	$57,000	440
Salisbury	$58,000	410
Cumberland	$49,000	140

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$70,000	21,570
Worcester	$67,000	2,090
Springfield	$61,000	1,760
Framingham	$64,000	1,750
Lowell	$73,000	930
Brockton	$63,000	530
Barnstable Town	$70,000	500
Haverhill	$81,000	390
Lawrence	$67,000	320
New Bedford	$65,000	300
Taunton	$59,000	250
Leominster	$62,000	250
Pittsfield	$65,000	230

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$64,000	11,250
Detroit	$69,000	6,950
Grand Rapids	$64,000	3,380
Lansing	$57,000	2,040
Ann Arbor	$58,000	1,270
Flint	$67,000	830
Holland	$58,000	790
Saginaw	$64,000	780
Kalamazoo	$60,000	730
Niles	$59,000	370
Muskegon	$74,000	350
Jackson	$75,000	300
Battle Creek	$62,000	280
Bay City	$57,000	230
Monroe	$52,000	230

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$63,000	18,580
Duluth	$56,000	620
St Cloud	$56,000	600
Rochester	$55,000	550

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$54,000	1,610
Gulfport	$55,000	480
Pascagoula	$58,000	200
Hattiesburg	$49,000	190

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$63,000	13,150
Kansas City	$57,000	10,430
Springfield	$51,000	1,550
Jefferson City	$50,000	890
Columbia	$51,000	610
Joplin	$47,000	420
St Joseph	$51,000	280

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Billings	$56,000	520
Missoula	$54,000	290
Great Falls	$64,000	290

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$63,000	3,920
Lincoln	$55,000	1,420

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$58,000	4,050
Reno	$58,000	1,410
Carson City	$60,000	300

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashua	$60,000	1,090
Manchester	$58,000	890
Portsmouth	$64,000	340
Rochester	$59,000	270

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Newark	$80,000	11,640
Edison	$80,000	9,160
Camden	$71,000	3,760
Trenton	$71,000	2,660
Atlantic City	$67,000	620
Vineland	$62,000	310
Ocean City	$62,000	190

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$60,000	3,310
Santa Fe	$56,000	1,040
Las Cruces	$46,000	390
Farmington	$61,000	170

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$83,000	69,830
Nassau	$84,000	13,690
Buffalo	$65,000	5,010
Albany	$69,000	4,340
Rochester	$67,000	4,250
Syracuse	$68,000	2,480
Poughkeepsie	$67,000	1,280
Utica	$63,000	960
Binghamton	$71,000	960
Kingston	$64,000	470
Glens Falls	$60,000	280
Elmira	$60,000	240
Ithaca	$67,000	220

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$63,000	7,560
Raleigh	$62,000	4,480
Durham	$65,000	2,830
Greensboro	$60,000	2,310
Winston Salem	$61,000	1,410
Asheville	$58,000	1,060
Wilmington	$60,000	760
Hickory	$58,000	690
Fayetteville	$60,000	670
Greenville	$57,000	340
Burlington	$58,000	320
Rocky Mount	$54,000	260
Goldsboro	$53,000	150
Jacksonville	$52,000	110

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$50,000	900
Bismarck	$49,000	560
Grand Forks	$48,000	220

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cleveland	$64,000	9,470
Columbus	$59,000	9,420
Cincinnati	$62,000	8,800
Akron	$61,000	2,910
Dayton	$64,000	2,910
Toledo	$65,000	2,210
Youngstown	$57,000	1,160
Canton	$64,000	1,140
Lima	$65,000	260
Mansfield	$64,000	230
Springfield	$53,000	190
Sandusky	$55,000	130

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$52,000	5,970
Tulsa	$53,000	5,510
Lawton	$44,000	150

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$62,000	8,320
Salem	$56,000	1,170
Eugene	$59,000	890
Medford	$54,000	420
Bend	$71,000	290
Corvallis	$59,000	170

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$74,000	20,240
Pittsburgh	$63,000	12,080
Harrisburg	$61,000	2,770
Allentown	$63,000	2,350
Scranton	$55,000	1,770
Lancaster	$59,000	1,650
York	$63,000	1,250
Erie	$51,000	1,020
Reading	$61,000	950
Williamsport	$53,000	300
Johnstown	$65,000	290
State College	$59,000	290
Altoona	$56,000	240
Lebanon	$59,000	210

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$64,000	4,560

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Columbia	$56,000	3,360
Greenville	$60,000	2,520
Charleston	$60,000	2,420
Spartanburg	$59,000	1,070
Myrtle Beach	$44,000	790
Florence	$54,000	780
Anderson	$53,000	230
Sumter	$52,000	140

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$57,000	1,550
Rapid City	$51,000	530

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashville	$59,000	5,440
Memphis	$60,000	3,990
Knoxville	$56,000	2,040
Chattanooga	$57,000	1,380
Kingsport	$47,000	460
Johnson City	$51,000	340
Jackson	$50,000	300
Clarksville	$50,000	270
Cleveland	$51,000	170
Morristown	$60,000	140

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Dallas	$67,000	24,690
Houston	$68,000	24,140
Austin	$64,000	9,220
Fort Worth	$66,000	6,400
San Antonio	$58,000	6,030
El Paso	$53,000	1,410
Corpus Christi	$55,000	940
Amarillo	$57,000	880
Lubbock	$53,000	830
Mcallen	$49,000	820
Midland	$62,000	810
Beaumont	$52,000	740
Waco	$48,000	680
College Station	$54,000	670
Abilene	$51,000	640
Longview	$64,000	610
Killeen	$62,000	570
Tyler	$62,000	560
Wichita Falls	$56,000	440
Brownsville	$56,000	440
Laredo	$54,000	420
Odessa	$56,000	360
San Angelo	$52,000	340
Sherman	$62,000	240
Texarkana	$58,000	240
Victoria	$51,000	190

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$62,000	5,950
Provo	$66,000	1,500
Ogden	$62,000	1,320
Logan	$55,000	360
St George	$57,000	270

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$68,000	1,220

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Richmond	$64,000	6,310
Virginia Beach	$63,000	5,470
Roanoke	$53,000	1,060
Charlottesville	$60,000	820
Lynchburg	$61,000	640
Blacksburg	$56,000	410
Harrisonburg	$54,000	340
Winchester	$61,000	310
Danville	$55,000	170

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$67,000	13,840
Tacoma	$63,000	1,260
Spokane	$61,000	1,200
Olympia	$64,000	580
Kennewick	$64,000	520
Bellingham	$59,000	470
Bremerton	$70,000	430
Yakima	$67,000	390
Mount Vernon	$60,000	210
Wenatchee	$58,000	210
Longview	$59,000	160

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$57,000	1,300
Huntington	$50,000	740
Parkersburg	$64,000	500
Wheeling	$56,000	390
Morgantown	$53,000	310
Weirton	$51,000	180

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$65,000	8,030
Madison	$60,000	2,860
Green Bay	$55,000	1,200
Appleton	$57,000	760
Eau Claire	$51,000	650
Oshkosh	$63,000	570
La Crosse	$60,000	450
Wausau	$59,000	440
Racine	$60,000	420
Sheboygan	$60,000	320
Janesville	$62,000	250
Fond	$57,000	250

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cheyenne	$52,000	550
Casper	$66,000	190

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