Accountant Salary by U.S. City (2026)

Accountant salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles, plus cost-of-living-adjusted real pay. Compare metros.

Cities tracked
50
National average
$90780

How Accountant pay varies by city

Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Accountant pay ranges from about $64,740 in El Paso, TX to $113,980 in San Jose, CA (median wage). But the highest nominal pay isn’t the best deal once local prices are factored in: adjusted for cost of living, Wichita, KS delivers the strongest real buying power (about $424,863 in national-average dollars). The U.S. national average for this role is about $90,780.

The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.

CityMedian10th %ile90th %ileCost of living
(US = 100)
Real pay
(COL-adjusted)
San Jose, CA$113980$76020$180860110.4$112359
Boston, MA$106335$59697$138981108.3$98216
Oakland, CA$103990$71070$175590115.6$102004
San Francisco, CA$103990$71070$175590115.6$102004
New York, NY$103900$65160$186960112.6$105763
Washington, DC$97320$61540$160690108.9$96295
Seattle, WA$95580$64740$144900111.1$91827
San Diego, CA$89120$59840$158950111.9$88250
Denver, CO$88770$59620$142270105.8$92019
Charlotte, NC$86900$58580$16232097.3$102755
Long Beach, CA$85540$57340$149970113.6$85078
Los Angeles, CA$85540$57340$149970113.6$85078
Sacramento, CA$84940$57820$128140106.7$85216
Houston, TX$81830$56370$14350098.6$96848
Fort Worth, TX$81782$43766$108392103.1$79331
Baltimore, MD$81390$58250$138080104.5$87351
Atlanta, GA$81220$51170$149310100.1$94275
Philadelphia, PA$81060$54030$133590102.6$91376
Portland, OR$80540$58130$126040105.4$83911
Raleigh, NC$80270$53670$13347098.2$91802
Austin, TX$80210$51050$13493098.1$91724
Arlington, TX$79840$53160$132250
Dallas, TX$79840$53160$132250103.1$87428
Chicago, IL$79810$52080$132430103.6$86384
Minneapolis, MN$79750$53790$134400104.8$85364
Miami, FL$79730$49080$134300114.2$76966
Mesa, AZ$79550$51290$133550103.3$87034
Phoenix, AZ$79550$51290$133550103.3$87034
Detroit, MI$79320$52450$131950100.3$87659
Columbus, OH$78830$51320$12832095.5$89966
Kansas City, MO$78500$49310$12960092.5$91212
Tulsa, OK$78490$49630$13004089.2$95400
Milwaukee, WI$78260$54760$12869096.9$89099
Colorado Springs, CO$77720$50060$131270100.7$85585
Jacksonville, FL$77550$45260$12499099.5$80375
Cleveland, OH$77500$50150$127340
San Antonio, TX$77490$51020$12831094.7$92561
Indianapolis, IN$76710$49260$12429095.7$85239
Fresno, CA$76540$47800$128670102.2$82588
Nashville, TN$76440$53770$13799096.3$90203
Wichita, KS$74530$49690$11104018.3$424863
New Orleans, LA$74090$47620$11075026.3$299087
Albuquerque, NM$73650$49520$11869095.5$83133
Oklahoma City, OK$73610$47150$12722090.4$90092
Louisville, KY$73470$48490$11805093.1$84707
Omaha, NE$72330$48610$10905091.9$84876
Memphis, TN$72060$44990$12899092.2$86777
Las Vegas, NV$69280$36570$103160100.2$71317
Tucson, AZ$68310$47400$11178096.9$78558
El Paso, TX$64740$42590$11287089.9$81257

“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.

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