Pay by state · 54 areas
Accountant Salary by State (2026)
Accountants and Auditors earn the most in District of Columbia at $111,530 a year and the least in Arkansas at $66,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $83,680. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $111,530District of Columbia
- National median
- $83,680BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $66,330Arkansas
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for accountants and auditors
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$111,530
- 2New York$102,640
- 3New Jersey$100,830
- 4Massachusetts$99,460
- 5Connecticut$97,550
Lowest median pay
- 1Arkansas$66,330
- 2Mississippi$68,100
- 3Nebraska$72,080
- 4West Virginia$73,320
- 5Louisiana$73,810
All states
Accountant salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of accountants and auditors OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $111,530 | $83,050 | $156,730 | 9,810 | $101,482 |
| 2 | NYNew York | $102,640 | $79,760 | $134,820 | 109,830 | $95,107 |
| 3 | NJNew Jersey | $100,830 | $80,320 | $129,280 | 42,250 | $92,670 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $99,460 | $79,370 | $128,560 | 46,230 | $94,046 |
| 5 | CTConnecticut | $97,550 | $78,020 | $123,670 | 16,770 | $94,151 |
| 6 | CACalifornia | $97,050 | $75,810 | $125,850 | 175,360 | $87,654 |
| 7 | COColorado | $97,030 | $74,900 | $127,270 | 35,410 | $94,156 |
| 8 | WAWashington | $96,550 | $79,180 | $122,480 | 34,740 | $90,223 |
| 9 | RIRhode Island | $95,820 | $76,400 | $120,280 | 6,570 | $93,684 |
| 10 | DEDelaware | $95,020 | $74,270 | $120,450 | 6,570 | $95,203 |
| 11 | VAVirginia | $93,290 | $74,250 | $123,510 | 47,100 | $92,271 |
| 12 | MDMaryland | $89,370 | $73,100 | $116,420 | 26,170 | $85,148 |
| 13 | OROregon | $85,800 | $74,350 | $104,150 | 14,920 | $83,010 |
| 14 | NHNew Hampshire | $83,470 | $71,360 | $105,160 | 7,000 | $80,132 |
| 15 | AKAlaska | $83,460 | $72,230 | $102,460 | 2,190 | $81,537 |
| 16 | NCNorth Carolina | $82,050 | $65,120 | $108,090 | 49,270 | $86,986 |
| 17 | GAGeorgia | $81,900 | $64,830 | $109,110 | 44,020 | $85,053 |
| 18 | MNMinnesota | $81,600 | $68,190 | $105,020 | 30,530 | $82,741 |
| 19 | NVNevada | $81,600 | $68,190 | $103,640 | 6,930 | $81,617 |
| 20 | TXTexas | $80,920 | $65,560 | $103,760 | 116,470 | $83,374 |
| 21 | ILIllinois | $80,230 | $66,290 | $102,270 | 54,930 | $80,264 |
| 22 | UTUtah | $79,990 | $61,910 | $104,140 | 15,490 | $80,909 |
| 23 | AZArizona | $79,970 | $64,990 | $103,640 | 27,410 | $79,432 |
| 24 | WIWisconsin | $79,400 | $65,000 | $100,800 | 25,100 | $84,383 |
| 25 | OKOklahoma | $79,370 | $59,990 | $104,240 | 16,720 | $90,354 |
| 26 | OHOhio | $79,320 | $63,020 | $102,230 | 50,440 | $85,498 |
| 27 | FLFlorida | $79,250 | $62,730 | $103,140 | 91,000 | $76,634 |
| 28 | KSKansas | $79,000 | $62,960 | $100,650 | 13,610 | $87,712 |
| 29 | PAPennsylvania | $79,000 | $62,330 | $99,990 | 54,290 | $80,966 |
| 30 | VTVermont | $78,890 | $66,190 | $97,100 | 2,630 | $80,535 |
| 31 | SDSouth Dakota | $78,880 | $66,970 | $97,920 | 5,820 | $89,043 |
| 32 | MIMichigan | $78,820 | $63,850 | $101,030 | 41,460 | $81,919 |
| 33 | NMNew Mexico | $78,580 | $63,290 | $99,090 | 6,300 | $85,217 |
| 34 | INIndiana | $77,720 | $62,370 | $100,120 | 25,660 | $83,275 |
| 35 | WYWyoming | $77,620 | $60,470 | $100,560 | 2,670 | $83,741 |
| 36 | MEMaine | $77,480 | $63,920 | $98,700 | 3,860 | $79,835 |
| 37 | IAIowa | $77,440 | $62,090 | $98,150 | 13,210 | $88,239 |
| 38 | TNTennessee | $76,840 | $62,430 | $94,790 | 27,340 | $83,640 |
| 39 | MOMissouri | $76,590 | $60,370 | $99,580 | 28,000 | $84,334 |
| 40 | SCSouth Carolina | $76,560 | $62,100 | $99,080 | 15,270 | $81,665 |
| 41 | MTMontana | $75,810 | $61,690 | $97,320 | 4,730 | $80,099 |
| 42 | NDNorth Dakota | $75,730 | $60,960 | $95,780 | 4,430 | $85,129 |
| 43 | KYKentucky | $75,270 | $61,040 | $96,780 | 11,930 | $83,486 |
| 44 | ALAlabama | $74,880 | $60,840 | $95,870 | 24,300 | $84,302 |
| 45 | IDIdaho | $74,730 | $61,150 | $93,400 | 5,570 | $78,256 |
| 46 | HIHawaii | $74,500 | $60,710 | $92,870 | 4,670 | $67,757 |
| 47 | LALouisiana | $73,810 | $59,960 | $91,830 | 14,050 | $83,678 |
| 48 | WVWest Virginia | $73,320 | $59,260 | $91,660 | 4,900 | $81,925 |
| 49 | NENebraska | $72,080 | $59,990 | $90,660 | 10,340 | $79,997 |
| 50 | MSMississippi | $68,100 | $57,550 | $93,640 | 7,350 | $78,318 |
| 51 | ARArkansas | $66,330 | $52,570 | $88,950 | 7,870 | $76,297 |
| 52 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $59,060 | $48,130 | $83,210 | 340 | N/A |
| 53 | GUGuam | $50,410 | $43,220 | $63,630 | 610 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $43,530 | $34,660 | $57,940 | 12,370 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For accountants and auditors, the adjustment does not change the leader: District of Columbia is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $101,482.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Accountant pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays accountants and auditors the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for accountants and auditors at $111,530 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by New York ($102,640) and New Jersey ($100,830).
Which state pays accountants and auditors the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas reports the lowest median for accountants and auditors at $66,330 a year, $45,200 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $59,060, Guam reports $50,410 and Puerto Rico reports $43,530.
In which states do accountants and auditors earn over $100,000?
3 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more: District of Columbia ($111,530), New York ($102,640) and New Jersey ($100,830) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is the highest-paying state the best for accountants and auditors after cost of living?
Yes. District of Columbia stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $101,482 in national-average dollars from a raw $111,530. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.