How Much Do Certified Public Accountants Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary certified public accountants make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for certified public accountants and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of certified public accountants are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much certified public accountants can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Certified Public Accountants
According to data from 2023, there were about 1,500,254 positions for certified public accountants in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for certified public accountants was reported to be $79,893. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 434,500 job postings related to positions for certified public accountants.
How Much Money Do Certified Public Accountants Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money certified public accountants and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for certified public accountants.
Annual Salary for Certified Public Accountants
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for certified public accountants and related professions earned about $50,440 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $137,280 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for certified public accountants in the United States in 2023 was $79,893.
Annual Salary Range For Certified Public Accountants In 2023
Hourly Salary for Certified Public Accountants
The BLS also breaks down compensation for certified public accountants by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for certified public accountants in 2023 was $38. Lowest hourly earners took home $24 while the highest reported hourly salaries for certified public accountants was $66.
Hourly Salary Range For Certified Public Accountants In 2023
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Degree Options for Certified Public Accountants
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Advertised Compensation for Certified Public Accountants
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for certified public accountants, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for certified public accountants.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Certified Public Accountants
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 316,270 job postings related to certified public accountants, advertised salary was included in 137,633 of them, which was 44%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for certified public accountants was $73,088 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Certified Public Accountants
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for certified public accountants. Based on 32% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for certified public accountants in the United States is about $35.
Salary Trend for Certified Public Accountants
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for certified public accountants. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for certified public accountants dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for certified public accountants have increased 21%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Certified Public Accountants
What's the Job Growth for Certified Public Accountants?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for certified public accountants over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 1,500,411 jobs for certified public accountants in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 145,880 jobs will be added. That's a 9.7% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Certified Public Accountants
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about certified public accountants? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for certified public accountants.
What do certified public accountants do?
Certified Public Accountants: How do you become one?
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