Best states for an accountant-contractor

Q: What is the best state for accountant-contractors?

The best state to be an accountant-contractor is District of Columbia based on accountant-contractor salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for accountant-contractors?

The highest paying state for accountant-contractors is Mississippi based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for accountant-contractors?

The worst state for accountant-contractors is North Dakota, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

John Thornton Ph.D.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Accountant-contractor opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for accountant-contractors, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for accountant-contractors.As accountant-contractors are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for accountant-contractors. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as an accountant-contractor, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for accountant-contractors.We found that the Midwest is best for accountant-contractors, and the Northeast is the worst. Newark, NJ is the best city in the country for accountant-contractor jobs, where as District of Columbia is the best state in the country.

10 best states for accountant-contractors in 2025

1. District of Columbia
Total accountant-contractor jobs: 256
Average annual salary: $70,614
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Location Quotient:
1.63
Accountant-contractor jobs in District of Columbia
2. New York
Total accountant-contractor jobs: 1,382
Average annual salary: $67,630
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Accountant-contractor jobs in New York
3. Delaware
Total accountant-contractor jobs: 148
Average annual salary: $59,174
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Accountant-contractor jobs in Delaware
4. California
Total accountant-contractor jobs: 3,099
Average annual salary: $65,051
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Accountant-contractor jobs in California
5. Connecticut
Total accountant-contractor jobs: 386
Average annual salary: $60,314
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
1.24
Accountant-contractor jobs in Connecticut
6. New Jersey
Total accountant-contractor jobs: 630
Average annual salary: $74,545
Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000
Location Quotient:
0.85
Accountant-contractor jobs in New Jersey
7. Pennsylvania
Total accountant-contractor jobs: 1,052
Average annual salary: $62,258
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Location Quotient:
0.97
Accountant-contractor jobs in Pennsylvania
8. Washington
Total accountant-contractor jobs: 614
Average annual salary: $66,131
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Location Quotient:
0.9
Accountant-contractor jobs in Washington
9. Virginia
Total accountant-contractor jobs: 874
Average annual salary: $62,161
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Accountant-contractor jobs in Virginia
10. New Hampshire
Total accountant-contractor jobs: 146
Average annual salary: $61,392
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
0.89
Accountant-contractor jobs in New Hampshire

Accountant-contractor jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an accountant-contractor

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an accountant-contractor

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	District of Columbia	$70,614	$53,000	693,972	256
2	New York	$67,630	$51,000	19,849,399	1,382
3	Delaware	$59,174	$44,000	961,939	148
4	California	$65,051	$48,000	39,536,653	3,099
5	Connecticut	$60,314	$45,000	3,588,184	386
6	New Jersey	$74,545	$56,000	9,005,644	630
7	Pennsylvania	$62,258	$47,000	12,805,537	1,052
8	Washington	$66,131	$51,000	7,405,743	614
9	Virginia	$62,161	$47,000	8,470,020	874
10	New Hampshire	$61,392	$46,000	1,342,795	146
11	Massachusetts	$60,513	$45,000	6,859,819	883
12	Rhode Island	$58,328	$44,000	1,059,639	110
13	Ohio	$55,164	$42,000	11,658,609	906
14	Texas	$53,366	$40,000	28,304,596	2,129
15	Michigan	$54,076	$41,000	9,962,311	657
16	Georgia	$56,018	$42,000	10,429,379	859
17	Oregon	$53,789	$41,000	4,142,776	415
18	Illinois	$51,777	$40,000	12,802,023	1,353
19	Maryland	$56,973	$43,000	6,052,177	643
20	Missouri	$52,158	$40,000	6,113,532	567
21	Colorado	$52,965	$41,000	5,607,154	639
22	Tennessee	$50,365	$39,000	6,715,984	556
23	Arizona	$51,941	$39,000	7,016,270	554
24	Nevada	$49,536	$37,000	2,998,039	221
25	Alaska	$55,217	$46,000	739,795	69
26	Florida	$50,696	$38,000	20,984,400	1,559
27	Oklahoma	$51,447	$40,000	3,930,864	242
28	South Carolina	$51,816	$39,000	5,024,369	321
29	New Mexico	$51,490	$39,000	2,088,070	138
30	Alabama	$50,116	$38,000	4,874,747	346
31	Vermont	$50,435	$38,000	623,657	65
32	Idaho	$51,268	$39,000	1,716,943	119
33	North Carolina	$50,568	$38,000	10,273,419	701
34	Iowa	$46,248	$36,000	3,145,711	379
35	Kentucky	$48,983	$38,000	4,454,189	268
36	Minnesota	$48,493	$37,000	5,576,606	663
37	West Virginia	$48,218	$36,000	1,815,857	101
38	Utah	$46,858	$35,000	3,101,833	318
39	Wisconsin	$46,683	$36,000	5,795,483	460
40	Arkansas	$46,472	$36,000	3,004,279	174
41	Montana	$42,062	$32,000	1,050,493	168
42	Hawaii	$41,491	$35,000	1,427,538	88
43	Nebraska	$45,222	$35,000	1,920,076	204
44	Maine	$47,050	$35,000	1,335,907	100
45	Wyoming	$45,224	$35,000	579,315	48
46	Kansas	$46,285	$36,000	2,913,123	197
47	Indiana	$45,817	$35,000	6,666,818	430
48	Louisiana	$45,628	$34,000	4,684,333	239
49	South Dakota	$44,957	$35,000	869,666	67
50	Mississippi	$41,276	$31,000	2,984,100	140
51	North Dakota	$42,536	$33,000	755,393	56

Highest paying states for accountant-contractors

Rank	State	Avg. Accountant-Contractor Salary
1	District of Columbia	$70,614
2	New York	$67,630
3	Delaware	$59,174
4	California	$65,051
5	Connecticut	$60,314
6	New Jersey	$74,545
7	Pennsylvania	$62,258
8	Washington	$66,131
9	Virginia	$62,161
10	New Hampshire	$61,392
11	Massachusetts	$60,513
12	Rhode Island	$58,328
13	Ohio	$55,164
14	Texas	$53,366
15	Michigan	$54,076
16	Georgia	$56,018
17	Oregon	$53,789
18	Illinois	$51,777
19	Maryland	$56,973
20	Missouri	$52,158
21	Colorado	$52,965
22	Tennessee	$50,365
23	Arizona	$51,941
24	Nevada	$49,536
25	Alaska	$55,217
26	Florida	$50,696
27	Oklahoma	$51,447
28	South Carolina	$51,816
29	New Mexico	$51,490
30	Alabama	$50,116
31	Vermont	$50,435
32	Idaho	$51,268
33	North Carolina	$50,568
34	Iowa	$46,248
35	Kentucky	$48,983
36	Minnesota	$48,493
37	West Virginia	$48,218
38	Utah	$46,858
39	Wisconsin	$46,683
40	Arkansas	$46,472
41	Montana	$42,062
42	Hawaii	$41,491
43	Nebraska	$45,222
44	Maine	$47,050
45	Wyoming	$45,224
46	Kansas	$46,285
47	Indiana	$45,817
48	Louisiana	$45,628
49	South Dakota	$44,957
50	Mississippi	$41,276
51	North Dakota	$42,536

Expert opinions on the best states for accountant-contractors

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for accountant-contractors to find work opportunities?
John Thornton Ph.D.
Professor of Accounting, School of Business and Management | Azusa Pacific University
CPA firms and corporations are still hiring accounting professionals. The disruption will be temporary, and much of the work will bounce back. But the long-term trend of global outsourcing of professional services, including accounting, has been dramatically accelerated. More than ever, graduates need to focus on setting themselves above the competition through professional certifications, such as the Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and the like. Graduates need to think beyond simple data collection and move to data analytics. Critical thinking skills, coupled with strong technical competencies, will win the day. One colossal growth area in accounting will be forensic and investigative accounting. With the increase in online everything, the protection of financial information will face ever-increasing pressures. Cybercrime is on the rise. So to demand innovative ways to stop fraud and white-collar crime. One impressive credential in this area is the Certified Forensic Accountant (CFE).

Accountant-contractor best states FAQs

What is the best state for accountant-contractors?

What is the highest paying state for accountant-contractors?

What is the worst state for accountant-contractors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for accountant-contractor jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs

Total accountant-contractor jobs:	256
Average annual salary:	$70,614
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$53,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$92,000
Location Quotient:	1.63

Best states for an accountant-contractor

10 best states for accountant-contractors in 2025

1. District of Columbia

2. New York

3. Delaware

4. California

5. Connecticut

6. New Jersey

7. Pennsylvania

8. Washington

9. Virginia

10. New Hampshire