Accountants and Auditors: pay by state
National median: $83,680/yr BLS OEWS OEWS ’25 . Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
National wage range
10th percentile$56,020 25th percentile$67,020 Median$83,680 75th percentile$109,810 90th percentile$144,090
BLS percentile estimates describe the wage distribution; they are not experience levels or guaranteed offers. Published employment: 1,449,500. How to read wage percentiles →
What's the equivalent in another state?
A accountant earning the median $111,530 in District of Columbia needs about $98,540 in Texas to keep the same purchasing power. The actual median there is $80,920 (—).
Show the math
How much the state matters
Nationally, the median accountant earns $83,680 a year. But the state-by-state gap is large: from $111,530 in District of Columbia down to $66,330 in Arkansas — a spread of 68% for the same job.
The wage distribution
Nationally, the published 10th-to-90th-percentile range runs from $56,020 to $144,090. Those percentiles describe the observed wage distribution; they should not be treated as automatic starting- and senior-pay bands.
Where the job really pays best
Headline pay is only half the story. Adjust each state's wage for its cost of living and the map redraws itself. Once prices are accounted for, District of Columbia offers the strongest real pay ($101,483 in national-average terms). New Jersey, by contrast, pays a high nominal $100,830 but slips to 8th on real pay once its price level is factored in.
Every state, ranked by real pay
“Real pay” = median wage ÷ (state price level ÷ 100). Wage percentiles show the published spread; employment is the BLS estimate for the occupation.
| # | State | Employment | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Price level | Real median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 9,810 | $71,470 | $111,530 | $185,220 | 109.9 | $101,483 |
| 2 | Delaware | 6,570 | $60,500 | $95,020 | $132,550 | 99.8 | $95,210 |
| 3 | New York | 109,830 | $63,700 | $102,640 | $171,030 | 107.9 | $95,125 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 16,770 | $64,230 | $97,550 | $156,670 | 103.6 | $94,160 |
| 5 | Colorado | 35,410 | $60,760 | $97,030 | $162,160 | 103.1 | $94,113 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 46,230 | $70,460 | $99,460 | $160,100 | 105.8 | $94,008 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 6,570 | $59,920 | $95,820 | $150,320 | 102.3 | $93,666 |
| 8 | New Jersey | 42,250 | $65,710 | $100,830 | $167,080 | 108.8 | $92,675 |
| 9 | Virginia | 47,100 | $60,000 | $93,290 | $156,730 | 101.1 | $92,275 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 16,720 | $47,670 | $79,370 | $155,480 | 87.8 | $90,399 |
| 11 | Washington | 34,740 | $66,330 | $96,550 | $152,310 | 107.0 | $90,234 |
| 12 | South Dakota | 5,820 | $61,190 | $78,880 | $115,470 | 88.6 | $89,029 |
| 13 | Iowa | 13,210 | $51,420 | $77,440 | $123,700 | 87.8 | $88,200 |
| 14 | Kansas | 13,610 | $52,960 | $79,000 | $129,800 | 90.1 | $87,680 |
| 15 | California | 175,360 | $61,770 | $97,050 | $160,520 | 110.7 | $87,669 |
| 16 | North Carolina | 49,270 | $53,610 | $82,050 | $146,100 | 94.3 | $87,010 |
| 17 | Ohio | 50,440 | $52,140 | $79,320 | $131,400 | 92.8 | $85,474 |
| 18 | New Mexico | 6,300 | $52,390 | $78,580 | $125,420 | 92.2 | $85,228 |
| 19 | Maryland | 26,170 | $59,760 | $89,370 | $156,660 | 105.0 | $85,114 |
| 20 | North Dakota | 4,430 | $49,330 | $75,730 | $124,960 | 89.0 | $85,090 |
| 21 | Georgia | 44,020 | $51,830 | $81,900 | $145,960 | 96.3 | $85,047 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 25,100 | $58,340 | $79,400 | $127,800 | 94.1 | $84,378 |
| 23 | Missouri | 28,000 | $49,290 | $76,590 | $128,300 | 90.8 | $84,350 |
| 24 | Alabama | 24,300 | $50,240 | $74,880 | $123,170 | 88.8 | $84,324 |
| 25 | Wyoming | 2,670 | $50,900 | $77,620 | $126,520 | 92.7 | $83,732 |
| 26 | Louisiana | 14,050 | $48,950 | $73,810 | $117,110 | 88.2 | $83,685 |
| 27 | Tennessee | 27,340 | $49,920 | $76,840 | $122,160 | 91.9 | $83,613 |
| 28 | Kentucky | 11,930 | $50,750 | $75,270 | $121,230 | 90.2 | $83,448 |
| 29 | Texas | 116,470 | $53,380 | $80,920 | $132,040 | 97.1 | $83,337 |
| 30 | Indiana | 25,660 | $50,950 | $77,720 | $125,880 | 93.3 | $83,301 |
| 31 | Oregon | 14,920 | $62,590 | $85,800 | $130,650 | 103.4 | $82,979 |
| 32 | Minnesota | 30,530 | $58,280 | $81,600 | $138,960 | 98.6 | $82,759 |
| 33 | Michigan | 41,460 | $52,620 | $78,820 | $131,080 | 96.2 | $81,933 |
| 34 | West Virginia | 4,900 | $49,240 | $73,320 | $115,210 | 89.5 | $81,922 |
| 35 | South Carolina | 15,270 | $50,370 | $76,560 | $131,220 | 93.7 | $81,708 |
| 36 | Nevada | 6,930 | $58,630 | $81,600 | $128,760 | 100.0 | $81,600 |
| 37 | Alaska | 2,190 | $57,690 | $83,460 | $125,810 | 102.4 | $81,504 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | 54,290 | $50,680 | $79,000 | $130,270 | 97.6 | $80,943 |
| 39 | Utah | 15,490 | $48,770 | $79,990 | $131,590 | 98.9 | $80,880 |
| 40 | Vermont | 2,630 | $59,770 | $78,890 | $118,800 | 98.0 | $80,500 |
| 41 | Illinois | 54,930 | $54,510 | $80,230 | $131,990 | 100.0 | $80,230 |
| 42 | Montana | 4,730 | $49,250 | $75,810 | $125,290 | 94.6 | $80,137 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | 7,000 | $59,920 | $83,470 | $131,110 | 104.2 | $80,106 |
| 44 | Nebraska | 10,340 | $48,590 | $72,080 | $114,530 | 90.1 | $80,000 |
| 45 | Maine | 3,860 | $55,640 | $77,480 | $125,130 | 97.1 | $79,794 |
| 46 | Arizona | 27,410 | $55,430 | $79,970 | $128,890 | 100.7 | $79,414 |
| 47 | Mississippi | 7,350 | $45,440 | $68,100 | $120,290 | 87.0 | $78,276 |
| 48 | Idaho | 5,570 | $48,170 | $74,730 | $121,820 | 95.5 | $78,251 |
| 49 | Florida | 91,000 | $50,280 | $79,250 | $131,930 | 103.4 | $76,644 |
| 50 | Arkansas | 7,870 | $45,810 | $66,330 | $119,520 | 86.9 | $76,329 |
| 51 | Hawaii | 4,670 | $49,860 | $74,500 | $117,840 | 110.0 | $67,727 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 15, 2026 · Official data
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official data