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Accounting Education and Career Guide
How Much Does an Accountant Make?

Median annual Accountant salary
Accountants, who maintain and analyze financial records and data, earn a median annual salary of $78,000. Salaries vary considerably, however. For instance, the bottom 10% earn less than $48,560 annually, while the top 10% earn $132,690 or more, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Salaries are based on many factors, including location.
Highest-paying metropolitan areas for accountants
Location can influence how much you'll earn as an accountant. The 10 metropolitan areas with the highest annual median salaries for the field are located primarily on the East and West coasts and tend to be in densely populated areas.
The difference in wages can be significant: Median salaries in the top 10 metro areas are between $13,000 and $22,000 higher than the median wage for the U.S. overall.
How does an accountant's salary compare to similar occupations?
Here's a look at how median salaries for accountants compare to similar professions that require comparable education, according to the BLS.
Factors that influence Accountant pay
Aside from location, there are several other factors that can play a role in your salary. You may want to consider how they will affect your career—not just now, but also in the future.
Initially, your education and becoming a certified public accountant (CPA) will have the biggest influence on your salary, said Angel Chatterton, a senior instructor of accountancy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a CPA herself.
"Starting out, it's definitely the CPA and your education," she said. "As you get more experience, it's going to be the experience factor and your industry."
Education
Having more education will often play a role in which positions you qualify for, and as a result, what you will earn.
For example, an associate degree can prepare you for a job as a bookkeeper or accounting clerk, roles that the BLS states have an annual median salary of $45,860.
Experience
Accountants with experience often are rewarded with higher salaries. In addition to seniority, taking continuing education courses can help you qualify for a promotion into management or leadership and boost your pay.
Certification
Becoming a CPA can increase your earning power. Not only do CPAs typically draw a higher salary than other accountants they also stand out, both to clients and potential employers, as professionals at the top of their field. Many CPAs have a master's degree in accounting or a master's in business administration (MBA) with a focus on accounting.
Workplace
The top-paying industry for accountants is transportation. Here's a look at median annual salaries for three of the top-paying industries.
Specialty
Having a specialty beyond the CPA designation can also help boost your salary potential. A sample of these certifications include:
Job outlook for Accountants
Jobs in accounting will grow by 4.4% through 2032, just under the rate for jobs overall, according to the BLS. Demand may be particularly strong in international trade and technology.
Globalization will require accountants with expertise in international business and fields such as mergers and acquisitions, according to the BLS. Complex tax laws and regulations also will drive demand for accountants.
Jobs in accounting will grow by 4.4% through 2032, according to the BLS, and demand may be particularly strong in international trade and technology.
Chatterton agrees that accounting should continue to see strong growth and points to steady demand shown in U.S. labor reports. Accounting is generally a "recession-proof type of job. It's one of the last things that an entity will cut," she said.