How much does an accounting director make?

The average accounting director salary in the United States is $132,126. Accounting director salaries typically range between $89,000 and $193,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for accounting directors is $63.52 per hour. Accounting director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Accounting directors earn the highest average salary in Massachusetts.

Accounting director salary

Q: What state pays Accounting Directors the most?

Massachusetts pays Accounting Directors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $156,850 per year, or $75.41 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an accounting director?

You know if you are being paid fairly as an accounting director if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Jersey you should be paid close to $153,309 per year.

Quoted expert

Gene Kovacs Ph.D.

Average accounting director salary

$132,126

$63.52 hourly rate

Entry-level accounting director salary

$89,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding the Accounting Director Salary

The salary for an Accounting Director averages around $132,126 per year, equating to about $64 per hour. This compensation can vary significantly based on experience, location, and the industry in which one works. For instance, Accounting Directors in metropolitan areas typically earn more than those in rural settings.

Furthermore, experience plays a vital role; Directors with over ten years can command higher salaries compared to entry-level positions. According to our data, states like California, New York, and Texas offer some of the highest compensation packages for this role. Understanding these dynamics allows aspiring professionals and those in the field to navigate their careers effectively.

Salary by State

For those considering a career as an Accounting Director, researching state averages can guide your job search. For instance, states with thriving financial sectors often offer higher salaries. In addition, specific industries such as technology and healthcare provide competitive salaries and benefits.

Ultimately, the path to becoming an Accounting Director is filled with opportunities for growth and advancement, making it a rewarding career choice.

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Accounting director salary by:

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Where can an Accounting Director earn more?

Compare salary by location

177k

157k

137k

117k

97k

77k

Columbus, OH$159,137

Saint Paul, MN$106,687

Compare salary by company

197k

177k

157k

137k

117k

Yuma Regional Medical Center$173,507

Cost Plus World Market$147,222

Accounting director salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level accounting director	$90,800	$43.67
Mid-level accounting director	$141,000	$67.60
Senior-level accounting director	$216,000	$103.90

Accounting director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for an accounting director typically falls between $109,056 and $190,382.

zippia

$132,126yearly

comparably[1]

$109,056yearly

Salary.com[2]

$190,382yearly

payscale[3]

$113,238yearly

Average accounting director salary by state

The highest-paying states for accounting directors are Massachusetts, New Jersey, and California. The lowest average accounting director salary states are Iowa, Wyoming, and Utah.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for accounting directors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Massachusetts	$156,850	$75.41
2	South Dakota	$132,781	$63.84
3	New Jersey	$153,309	$73.71
4	New York	$142,221	$68.38
5	California	$149,053	$71.66
6	Michigan	$139,543	$67.09
7	Nevada	$133,517	$64.19
8	Connecticut	$134,596	$64.71
9	Vermont	$139,952	$67.28
10	Pennsylvania	$133,284	$64.08
11	North Carolina	$131,038	$63.00
12	Rhode Island	$134,041	$64.44
13	New Hampshire	$132,677	$63.79
14	Delaware	$127,523	$61.31
15	Illinois	$126,872	$61.00
16	Oklahoma	$119,615	$57.51
17	Louisiana	$119,403	$57.41
18	West Virginia	$115,971	$55.76
19	Maryland	$130,033	$62.52
20	Alaska	$129,857	$62.43
21	Indiana	$123,694	$59.47
22	District of Columbia	$122,626	$58.95
23	Maine	$123,956	$59.59
24	South Carolina	$116,407	$55.96
25	Oregon	$123,239	$59.25
26	Virginia	$125,336	$60.26
27	Colorado	$121,417	$58.37
28	Idaho	$124,229	$59.73
29	Tennessee	$119,126	$57.27
30	Georgia	$119,437	$57.42
31	Kentucky	$119,150	$57.28
32	Arizona	$119,216	$57.32
33	New Mexico	$120,830	$58.09
34	Hawaii	$119,059	$57.24
35	Arkansas	$114,169	$54.89
36	Wisconsin	$116,611	$56.06
37	Texas	$114,424	$55.01
38	Washington	$115,072	$55.32
39	North Dakota	$117,493	$56.49
40	Montana	$111,708	$53.71
41	Kansas	$116,557	$56.04
42	Alabama	$103,129	$49.58
43	Ohio	$113,057	$54.35
44	Missouri	$110,890	$53.31
45	Utah	$107,170	$51.52
46	Nebraska	$110,503	$53.13
47	Minnesota	$106,471	$51.19
48	Iowa	$108,942	$52.38
49	Mississippi	$111,788	$53.74
50	Wyoming	$107,869	$51.86
51	Florida	$89,231	$42.90

Top accounting director jobs near you

Highest paying cities for accounting directors

The highest-paying cities for accounting directors are Cambridge, MA, San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Cambridge, MA	$159,137	$76.51
2	San Francisco, CA	$157,250	$75.60
3	New York, NY	$142,758	$68.63
4	Philadelphia, PA	$134,112	$64.48
5	Las Vegas, NV	$133,260	$64.07
6	Raleigh, NC	$132,215	$63.56
7	Baltimore, MD	$131,010	$62.99
8	McLean, VA	$128,025	$61.55
9	Chicago, IL	$127,579	$61.34
10	Washington, DC	$122,785	$59.03
11	Columbus, IN	$122,739	$59.01
12	Englewood, CO	$121,483	$58.41
13	Atlanta, GA	$120,065	$57.72
14	Phoenix, AZ	$119,531	$57.47
15	Urban Honolulu, HI	$119,338	$57.37
16	Seattle, WA	$115,824	$55.68
17	Fort Worth, TX	$115,560	$55.56
18	Columbus, OH	$111,908	$53.80
19	Saint Louis, MO	$111,815	$53.76
20	Saint Paul, MN	$106,687	$51.29

Accounting director salary details

An accounting director's salary ranges from $89,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $193,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average accounting director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an accounting director's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$193,000	$16,083	$93
75th Percentile	$161,000	$13,417	$77
Average	$132,126	$11,011	$64
25th Percentile	$107,000	$8,917	$51
10th Percentile	$89,000	$7,417	$43

Highest paying accounting director jobs

The highest paying types of accounting directors are controller, vice president, finance vice president, and corporate controller.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Finance Vice President	$147,603	$12,300	$70.96	111,219
Finance Manager	$101,374	$8,448	$48.74	125,345
Chief Finance Officer	$143,947	$11,996	$69.21	145,184
Director Of Administration & Finance	$109,366	$9,114	$52.58	80,486
Corporate Controller	$144,304	$12,025	$69.38	57,715
Division Controller	$110,117	$9,176	$52.94	41,679

How would you rate the starting salaries for accounting directors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Gene Kovacs Ph.D.

Visiting Professor of Accounting Department, Bryant University

Starting salaries seem very good in the current environment; the future looks bright. Graduates that complement their accounting skills with economics, finance, math, and computer science will have a competitive advantage due to these complimentary fields' critical thinking focus. This combination of skills can command a premium in the labor market and expand graduates' options in the labor market.

Top companies hiring accounting directors now:

Which companies pay accounting directors the most?

Accounting director salaries at Yuma Regional Medical Center and Databricks are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average accounting director salary at companies like DoorDash and Zurich are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Yuma Regional Medical Center	$173,507	$83.42
2	Databricks	$172,295	$82.83
3	DoorDash	$167,585	$80.57
4	Zurich	$160,877	$77.34
5	Vox Media	$158,583	$76.24
6	Oculus	$158,459	$76.18
7	Harley-Davidson	$158,093	$76.01
8	Kemper	$157,641	$75.79
9	Bed Bath & Beyond	$155,005	$74.52
10	ACDI/VOCA	$153,817	$73.95
11	House of Blues	$152,226	$73.19
12	99 Cents Only Stores	$151,875	$73.02
13	NantHealth	$151,774	$72.97
14	Amyris	$151,195	$72.69
15	Bunge	$150,106	$72.17
16	Amgen	$149,322	$71.79
17	Model N	$148,703	$71.49
18	Rubrik	$147,760	$71.04
19	Automation Anywhere	$147,231	$70.78
20	Cost Plus World Market	$147,222	$70.78

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$138,000$135,400$132,800$130,200$127,600$125,000

MaleFemale

Accounting Director salary by industry

The average accounting director salary varies across industries:

The average accounting director salary in the technology industry is $128,951, the highest of any industry.
The average accounting director salary in the finance industry is $126,087.
Accounting directors in the retail industry earn an average salary of $86,906, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for accounting directors

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Technology	$128,951	$62.00
2	Manufacturing	$126,087	$60.62
3	Finance	$124,333	$59.78
4	Health Care	$123,385	$59.32
5	Professional	$122,482	$58.89
6	Real Estate	$122,015	$58.66
7	Hospitality	$120,805	$58.08
8	Retail	$86,906	$41.78

High paying accounting director jobs

Accounting director salary trends

The average accounting director salary has risen by $26,606 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average accounting director earned $105,520 annually, but today, they earn $132,126 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for accounting directors over the last decade.

Compare accounting director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average accounting director salary over time

Compare accounting director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Accounting director salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$132,000	$63.52	+3.2%
2024	$128,000	$61.49	+1.5%
2023	$126,000	$60.59	+2.3%
2022	$123,000	$59.21	+2.7%
2021	$120,000	$57.64	+3.1%

Recently added accounting director salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Tivity Health, Inc.	Director, Accounting-Hybrid	Franklin, TN	06/29/2025	$98,900
Oscar	Director, Technical Accounting	New York, NY	06/29/2025	$174,400
Amplitude	Director, Technical Accounting & Reporting	San Francisco, CA	06/29/2025	$231,000
Payment Operations Lead	Director, SEC Reporting & Technical Accounting	New York, NY	06/29/2025	$180,000
Olaplex	Director, Revenue Accounting (Hybrid Role	New York, NY	06/29/2025	$170,000
CAES	US Government Compliance Accounting Director	San Diego, CA	06/28/2025	$189,038
T-Mobile Usa	Director, Accounting-Record To Report	Overland Park, KS	06/27/2025	$167,500
Payoneer	Director, SEC Reporting & Technical Accounting	New York, NY	06/27/2025	$180,000
Starr	Director of Reinsurance Accounting	New York, NY	06/27/2025	$275,000
Cyngn	Director of Accounting	Mountain View, CA	06/27/2025	$160,000

Accounting director salary FAQs

What state pays Accounting Directors the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an accounting director?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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