Accountants and Auditors: Career Overview
Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Install or advise on systems of recording costs or other financial and budgetary data.
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What Tasks Do Accountants and Auditors Take On?
Typical responsibilities of accountants and auditors cover:
- Prepare detailed reports on audit findings.
- Report to management about asset utilization and audit results, and recommend changes in operations and financial activities.
- Collect and analyze data to detect deficient controls, duplicated effort, extravagance, fraud, or non-compliance with laws, regulations, and management policies.
- Inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency, effectiveness, and use of accepted accounting procedures to record transactions.
- Supervise auditing of establishments, and determine scope of investigation required.
- Confer with company officials about financial and regulatory matters.
- Examine and evaluate financial and information systems, recommending controls to ensure system reliability and data integrity.
- Inspect cash on hand, notes receivable and payable, negotiable securities, and canceled checks to confirm records are accurate.
What Accountants and Auditors Need to Know
Successful accountants and auditors combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Other Accountants and Auditors Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Account Auditor
- Accountant
- Accounting Associate
- Accounting Auditor
- Accounting Consultant
- Accounting Methods Analyst
- Accounting Officer
- Accounting Systems Analyst
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 376,858 accountants and auditors working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +3.0% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Accountants and Auditors Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $79,222 |
| Hourly median | $38.09 |
| 10th percentile | $52,994 |
| 25th percentile | $66,108 |
| 75th percentile | $92,337 |
| 90th percentile | $105,451 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Accountants and Auditors Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $103,030 |
| New York | $101,780 |
| New Jersey | $101,340 |
| Massachusetts | $96,580 |
| California | $96,360 |
| Washington | $96,180 |
| Rhode Island | $90,040 |
| Colorado | $90,030 |
| Connecticut | $89,630 |
| Maryland | $84,890 |
| Delaware | $84,560 |
| Virginia | $84,190 |
| New Hampshire | $82,830 |
| Alaska | $81,950 |
| Oregon | $81,130 |
| Minnesota | $81,100 |
| North Carolina | $80,490 |
| Georgia | $80,100 |
| Texas | $80,000 |
| Illinois | $79,300 |
| Arizona | $78,620 |
| Florida | $78,470 |
| Nevada | $78,220 |
| Wisconsin | $78,150 |
| Michigan | $77,720 |
| Maine | $77,680 |
| Ohio | $77,640 |
| New Mexico | $77,420 |
| Indiana | $77,410 |
| Wyoming | $77,400 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,330 |
| South Dakota | $77,310 |
| Vermont | $76,990 |
| Oklahoma | $76,820 |
| Kansas | $76,400 |
| Tennessee | $75,500 |
| Utah | $75,100 |
| West Virginia | $74,520 |
| Montana | $74,400 |
| Iowa | $74,290 |
| Missouri | $73,210 |
| South Carolina | $73,180 |
| Kentucky | $72,220 |
| North Dakota | $72,180 |
| Alabama | $71,070 |
| Nebraska | $69,980 |
| Louisiana | $69,540 |
| Hawaii | $67,820 |
| Idaho | $64,840 |
| Arkansas | $64,180 |
| Mississippi | $64,170 |
| Virgin Islands | $57,960 |
| Guam | $47,080 |
| Puerto Rico | $37,290 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Pay for accountants and auditors differ across the country. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $94,309 | 17.2% | 1.14 |
| Far Western US | $94,182 | 16.4% | 1.00 |
| New England | $91,837 | 5.7% | 1.22 |
| Rocky Mountains | $82,434 | 4.4% | 1.15 |
| Southwest | $79,334 | 10.9% | 0.86 |
| Great Lakes | $78,144 | 13.7% | 0.97 |
| Southeast | $77,539 | 23.7% | 1.00 |
| Plains States | $75,975 | 7.1% | 1.04 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $121,630 | 13,410 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $105,750 | 26,600 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $105,100 | 114,300 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $99,440 | 42,320 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $99,380 | 24,880 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $98,080 | 4,920 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | NJ | $97,670 | 2,860 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $97,580 | 36,300 |
Industry Breakdown
The largest employers of accountants and auditors work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 483,970 | $82,000 |
| Finance and Insurance | 118,140 | $87,980 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 104,930 | $86,010 |
| Manufacturing | 90,600 | $83,940 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 70,350 | $80,500 |
| Wholesale Trade | 65,490 | $82,400 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 64,000 | $76,870 |
| Construction | 61,820 | $81,580 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Business intelligence and data analysis software: Alteryx software (hot technology)
- Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Google Sheets (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for accountants and auditors is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Getting Started in This Career
The role falls in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Financial Managers (Primary-Short)
- Treasurers and Controllers (Primary-Short)
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists (Supplemental)
- Budget Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Credit Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Financial and Investment Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Personal Financial Advisors (Primary-Long)
Where to Study
Students preparing for accountants and auditors often complete programs in:
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
5 programs across 2 majors
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services
1 programs across 1 majors
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 13-2011.00 (Accountants and Auditors).
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