Explore national salary, projected growth, education requirements, and career opportunities across the United States.
A concise view of this occupation’s national scale, compensation, and projected demand.
National median annual wage for this occupation.
Estimated jobs currently supported nationwide.
Projected employment change through 2034.
Estimated openings created each year.
The typical education, prior experience, and on-the-job training associated with entry into this career.
Bachelor's degree
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These are the highest-rated capabilities associated with success in this occupation. Scores are derived from occupational skill analysis and are measured on a 100-point scale.
Based on skills, knowledge, and work activities, these occupations are the closest match to your current career.
Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
Discover metro markets where compensation, hiring demand, and long-term momentum align.
Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Accountants and auditors play a significant role in the U.S. workforce, with national employment of 1,580,000 people. This career offers a national median annual salary of $81,680, reflecting strong income potential for those who meet the education and skill expectations. The field is projected to grow 4.6%, and there are 124,000 annual openings, suggesting a steady flow of opportunities for both new graduates and experienced professionals. The career rewards a mix of quantitative abilities, critical thinking, and communication, supported by skills such as mathematics, computers and information technology, problem solving, and attention to detail. Strong writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills also contribute to success, along with leadership, project management, and adaptability. For those interested in financially focused roles with clear pathways across many states and metropolitan areas, accountants and auditors offer a structured, skill-based career with consistent demand and room to grow over time.
The national median annual salary for accountants and auditors is $81,680, but pay can vary meaningfully by location. Several states show higher median salaries, including New York at $102,640, Massachusetts at $99,460, California at $97,050, Colorado at $97,030, and Washington at $96,550. At the metro level, salaries are even higher in some areas. The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro leads with a median salary of $121,700, followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $110,730 and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ at $105,650. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV offers a median of $102,140, and Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH comes in at $100,150. These differences suggest that professionals may increase earning potential by targeting higher-paying metros and states, while still benefiting from solid national earning levels.
Accountants and auditors have a sizeable national employment base of 1,580,000, indicating that this is a well-established occupation. Projected employment growth of 4.6% points to continued expansion in the coming years. In addition, the occupation is expected to generate 124,000 annual openings. These openings can reflect a combination of new positions and turnover as people change jobs or retire. Together, these figures suggest a consistent need for new accountants and auditors over time. The same 4.6% growth rate appears across the top states and metro areas listed, indicating a broadly similar growth outlook in many of the strongest locations. For students and career changers, this combination of a large employment base, positive projected growth, and substantial annual openings supports the idea that accounting and auditing can offer ongoing opportunities across the country.
Geography plays a notable role in opportunities for accountants and auditors. Among states, California, Massachusetts, and New York show relatively high median salaries—$97,050, $99,460, and $102,640 respectively—combined with strong CareerGPS opportunity scores above 65. New York and California also offer large employment bases, with 109,830 and 175,360 jobs, while Massachusetts has 46,230. Colorado and Washington round out the top states, each near $97,000 in median pay and opportunity scores in the mid-50s. At the metro level, opportunity concentrates further. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA has the highest opportunity score at 77.42 and the highest median salary at $121,700, though with 13,180 jobs it is smaller than some metros. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ combines 111,930 jobs with an opportunity score of 77.27. San Francisco, Washington DC region, and Boston also offer six-figure or near six-figure median salaries and strong opportunity scores above 63.
The typical education level for accountants and auditors is a bachelor’s degree. This educational foundation aligns with the broad range of skills associated with the occupation. Quantitative abilities such as mathematics are central, supported by strength in computers and information technology. The work also benefits from strong problem solving and decision making, critical and analytical thinking, and being highly detail oriented. Because accountants and auditors work with information that must be clearly documented and communicated, writing and reading skills, along with speaking and listening, are important. Leadership and project management skills support coordination of tasks and people, while adaptability helps professionals adjust to changing conditions or requirements. For students planning their path, focusing on a bachelor’s program that builds these analytical, technical, and communication skills can be a solid preparation for entering this field and advancing over time.
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