Accountant Salary
Accountants prepare and examine financial records, ensure accuracy and compliance, and provide tax and financial planning advice.
Salary by percentile
Annual salaries for Accountant by percentile, based on BLS OEWS — May 2025 data (2025).
Estimate your Accountant salary
Salary by state
| Location | Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $74,880 | $36 | $81,080 | 24,300 |
| Alaska | $83,460 | $40 | $90,350 | 2,190 |
| Arizona | $79,970 | $38 | $88,400 | 27,410 |
| Arkansas | $66,330 | $32 | $76,980 | 7,870 |
| California | $97,050 | $47 | $103,760 | 175,360 |
| Colorado | $97,030 | $47 | $103,150 | 35,410 |
| Connecticut | $97,550 | $47 | $101,810 | 16,770 |
| Delaware | $95,020 | $46 | $97,930 | 6,570 |
| District of Columbia | $111,530 | $54 | $122,680 | 9,810 |
| Florida | $79,250 | $38 | $88,210 | 91,000 |
| Georgia | $81,900 | $39 | $93,640 | 44,020 |
| Hawaii | $74,500 | $36 | $79,300 | 4,670 |
| Idaho | $74,730 | $36 | $79,940 | 5,570 |
| Illinois | $80,230 | $39 | $88,910 | 54,930 |
| Indiana | $77,720 | $37 | $84,000 | 25,660 |
| Iowa | $77,440 | $37 | $83,640 | 13,210 |
| Kansas | $79,000 | $38 | $86,130 | 13,610 |
| Kentucky | $75,270 | $36 | $80,790 | 11,930 |
| Louisiana | $73,810 | $35 | $79,130 | 14,050 |
| Maine | $77,480 | $37 | $84,880 | 3,860 |
| Maryland | $89,370 | $43 | $98,210 | 26,170 |
| Massachusetts | $99,460 | $48 | $107,170 | 46,230 |
| Michigan | $78,820 | $38 | $86,990 | 41,460 |
| Minnesota | $81,600 | $39 | $94,060 | 30,530 |
| Mississippi | $68,100 | $33 | $77,680 | 7,350 |
| Missouri | $76,590 | $37 | $83,180 | 28,000 |
| Montana | $75,810 | $36 | $82,750 | 4,730 |
| Nebraska | $72,080 | $35 | $77,660 | 10,340 |
| Nevada | $81,600 | $39 | $89,310 | 6,930 |
| New Hampshire | $83,470 | $40 | $92,570 | 7,000 |
| New Jersey | $100,830 | $48 | $110,590 | 42,250 |
| New Mexico | $78,580 | $38 | $84,320 | 6,300 |
| New York | $102,640 | $49 | $114,070 | 109,830 |
| North Carolina | $82,050 | $39 | $93,810 | 49,270 |
| North Dakota | $75,730 | $36 | $80,090 | 4,430 |
| Ohio | $79,320 | $38 | $88,280 | 50,440 |
| Oklahoma | $79,370 | $38 | $91,350 | 16,720 |
| Oregon | $85,800 | $41 | $93,870 | 14,920 |
| Pennsylvania | $79,000 | $38 | $86,070 | 54,290 |
| Rhode Island | $95,820 | $46 | $99,880 | 6,570 |
| South Carolina | $76,560 | $37 | $85,390 | 15,270 |
| South Dakota | $78,880 | $38 | $85,030 | 5,820 |
| Tennessee | $76,840 | $37 | $82,260 | 27,340 |
| Texas | $80,920 | $39 | $90,370 | 116,470 |
| Utah | $79,990 | $38 | $87,700 | 15,490 |
| Vermont | $78,890 | $38 | $85,280 | 2,630 |
| Virginia | $93,290 | $45 | $100,660 | 47,100 |
| Washington | $96,550 | $46 | $102,700 | 34,740 |
| West Virginia | $73,320 | $35 | $78,020 | 4,900 |
| Wisconsin | $79,400 | $38 | $87,870 | 25,100 |
| Wyoming | $77,620 | $37 | $83,820 | 2,670 |
Salary by metro area
Metro-level data for this occupation is not available yet.
Career path
No published career path data yet for this occupation.
How to negotiate your salary as a Accountant
Know the numbers for Accountant
The national median salary for Accountant is $83,680 per year. Most full-time Accountants earn between $67,020 and $109,810.
In your location the median is $83,680. Use your local median — not the national one — when you set a target.
A realistic range to ask for
A strong ask is $67,020 to $120,791 for a new offer, and roughly 4–7% above the local median when negotiating a raise as an existing employee.
Anchor high enough that your walk-away number still lands inside the employer's range — but stay defensible with market data from this page.
Your specific leverage as a Accountant
Bring concrete, recent results that a hiring manager for Accountant can verify — the revenue, time, or risk you moved.
Quantify your work — don't just describe it
For Accountant, money talks in measurable outcomes. Prepare three numbers before the conversation:
•What you delivered in the last 12 months (volume, throughput, error reduction)
•What it was worth to the employer (saved hours, avoided cost, faster turnaround)
•The gap between your current pay and this page's median for Accountant
Script for a new offer
"Based on the median for Accountant in this market ($83,680), and my experience with [top skill], I'm targeting $112,006. Is there flexibility in the base to get closer to that?"
If the base is fixed, shift the conversation to the levers above: for a your field role, ask about shift differential, certification pay, or the sign-on structure.
Script for a raise at your current job
"I've been at [result] for the past year. Market data for Accountant shows the median at $83,680, and I'd like to bring my base to $87,864 to reflect that. What can we do?"
Schedule the conversation around a performance review or after a completed project, and give your manager the market data a week in advance.
If the base won't move, negotiate the whole package
When base salary is capped, these often still have room:
•Sign-on bonus, relocation, or tuition reimbursement (common in your field)
•Extra paid time off or a compressed/remote schedule
•Professional development — certifications that raise your Accountant market rate next year
Get everything in writing, including how often pay is reviewed.
Common mistakes
Giving a number before hearing the employer's offer or range.
Anchoring to the national median when your local median is different.
Arguing from personal need ('I need this to cover rent') instead of market data.
Not using the leverage points above because they weren't prepared.
Forgetting that the first offer is a starting point — there is usually room, especially in specialty or shift roles.
Figures reference the Accountant salary data on this page. Negotiation ranges are illustrative and not an official guarantee.
Data sources and methodology
Salary figures reference BLS OEWS — May 2025 (2025). Employment counts and percentiles come from the same dataset.
Read our methodology · See all data sources
Last updated: August 5, 2026