What is an Accounting Staff?

Accounting staff members perform various tasks related to the financial documents of a company. They file and organize, research, and analyze accounts, prepare financial statements and documents related to accounts payable and receivable.

As part of the accounting staff, it will be your job to gather information from the general ledger and use it to balance the company consolidation system. You will verify data and create reports on spreadsheets. You will be there to answer questions related to financial statements and transactions. Audits, mergers, and acquisitions can not go down without your input, and keeping financial information related to business will also be your responsibility.

A degree in accounting or business administration might be a requirement when applying for this job. Getting certified in accounting is also a great idea to prove your competencies to your employer. Attention to detail, analytical thinking, and a talent for managing your time will allow you to succeed in this role. Your efforts will be remunerated with hourly salaries averaging around $25.31.

What Does an Accounting Staff Do

There are certain skills that many accounting staff have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed computer skills, detail oriented and integrity.

Learn more about what an Accounting Staff does

How To Become an Accounting Staff

If you're interested in becoming an accounting staff, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 75.0% of accounting staff have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 7.8% of accounting staff have master's degrees. Even though most accounting staff have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Top Accounting Staff Jobs Near You

Accounting Staff Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, an accounting staff can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as accountant, progress to a title such as senior accountant and then eventually end up with the title assistant controller.

Accounting Staff

Top Careers Before Accounting Staff

Staff Accountant(115,930 Jobs)
10.2 %
Accounts Payable Clerk(89,564 Jobs)
8.2 %
Accounting Clerk(106,969 Jobs)
8.2 %

Top Careers After Accounting Staff

Accountant(60,073 Jobs)
14.4 %
Staff Accountant(115,930 Jobs)
11.1 %
Accounts Payable Clerk(89,564 Jobs)
7.4 %

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Average Salary for an Accounting Staff

Accounting Staff in America make an average salary of $53,322 per year or $26 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $73,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $38,000 per year.
Average Accounting Staff Salary
$53,322 Yearly
$25.64 hourly
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Roles and Types of Accounting Staff

There are several types of accounting staff, including:

Accounts Payable Clerk

Role:

Accounts Payable Clerks are responsible for check financial records for accuracy. A lot of the work is also known as bookkeeping. Most generally, you'll be working in an office setting, but occassionally you'll get to visit clients at their place of work. A change of scenary might be nice.

You'll probably want some postsecondary education experience under your belt if you're going to try to become an accounts payable clerk. But you'll also be able to learn some on-the-job so keep that in mind. The big takeaway here is that you'll want some basic math and computer skills so that you can perform your work effortlessly.
  • Average Salary: $38,333
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Accountant

Role:

When you think of accounting, do you immediately associate the job title with taxes? Well, that's what some accountants do, but there are other types of accountants.

From preparing an audit to looking over financial records, accoutants have a busy schedule. Some of the year, they will work 40 hours a week, but other times they'll work a lot of overtime. So if you like money more than having a work-life balance, considering accounting.

  • Average Salary: $54,890
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Bookkeeper

Role:

As keeper of the books, er sorry, we mean bookkeeper, you're in charge of all things financial records. From creating the records in the first place to checking them for accuracy, you've got a lot of math on your hands.

Speaking of math, you'll probably need some postsecondary education to become a bookkeeper. Math will be a good starting point, but you'll also want to be familiar with certain bookkeeping software and other computer skills. While it's great to have some experience and knowledge before you secure the job, you will learn a lot through on-the-job training.

The majority of your work will be in the office. But depending on where you're employed as a bookkeeper, you may have to travel to clients' sites as well. The majority of your work can be completed in solitude so no group projects here. Isn't it time they ban those types of projects anyway?
  • Average Salary: $40,337
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Accounting Staff Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active accounting staff jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where accounting staff earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Accounting Staff Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1Texas2,513$49,730
2California2,418$63,926
3Florida2,170$48,722
4Pennsylvania1,965$55,734
5New York1,946$64,397
6Illinois1,940$45,252
7Massachusetts1,717$62,165
8Ohio1,284$48,391
9New Jersey1,220$64,057
10Georgia1,197$50,010
11Virginia1,004$54,922
12Washington977$54,505
13Minnesota949$59,327
14Michigan911$51,718
15Maryland904$59,995
16Colorado827$53,339
17Arizona816$47,471
18Missouri754$45,418
19Indiana728$42,337
20Tennessee697$43,123
21Oregon684$66,101
22Alabama514$44,103
23Connecticut454$59,772
24Iowa424$46,747
25Kentucky404$42,792
26South Carolina377$42,935
27Louisiana363$47,819
28Kansas344$41,621
29Nevada339$48,734
30Arkansas319$45,656
31Nebraska293$46,209
32Oklahoma293$47,949
33New Hampshire228$55,133
34New Mexico214$47,376
35Maine202$44,093
36Montana191$44,356
37Idaho184$43,286
38Rhode Island169$55,641
39Mississippi162$42,892
40Delaware151$64,370
41West Virginia149$37,657
42Hawaii113$50,839
43Vermont95$53,296
44Alaska77$58,964
45South Dakota59$42,817
46Wisconsin0$49,186
47Utah0$49,022
48North Carolina0$48,825
49Wyoming0$45,434
50North Dakota0$40,479

Accounting Staff Education

Accounting Staff Majors

Accounting
52.1 %
Business
22.2 %
Finance
5.8 %

Accounting Staff Degrees

Bachelors

75.0 %

Associate

11.9 %

Masters

7.8 %

Top Colleges for Accounting Staffs

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Finance
Business
Economics
Computer Science

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business/Commerce
Business
Economics
Liberal Arts
Psychology

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Computer Science
Education
Accounting
Economics

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Economics
Accounting
Psychology
Computer Science
Business

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Finance
Accounting
Marketing
Economics

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Education
Psychology
Liberal Arts
Computer Science

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Accounting
Finance
Business
Marketing
Business Economics

8. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Liberal Arts
Psychology
International Business
Economics

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Education
Economics
Computer Science
General Education, Specific Areas

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Psychology
Education
Economics
Liberal Arts

Top Skills For an Accounting Staff

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 8.5% of accounting staff listed reconciliations on their resume, but soft skills such as computer skills and detail oriented are important as well.

  • Reconciliations, 8.5%
  • Journal Entries, 8.3%
  • General Ledger Accounts, 6.2%
  • Payroll Taxes, 5.8%
  • Cash Management, 5.3%
  • Other Skills, 65.9%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Accounting Staff Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Accounting Staff templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Accounting Staff resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume
Accounting Staff Resume

Accounting Staff Demographics

Accounting Staff Gender Distribution

Female
Female
68%
Male
Male
32%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among accounting staff, 68.1% of them are women, while 31.9% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among accounting staff is White, which makes up 67.3% of all accounting staff.

  • The most common foreign language among accounting staff is Spanish at 27.6%.

Online Courses For Accounting Staff That You May Like

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1. Financial Accounting Subsidiary Ledgers & Special Journals

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Subsidiary ledgers for accounts receivable & accounts payable. Special Journals - Sales journal, purchases journal...

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2. Financial Accounting Payroll

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Payroll calculations - federal income tax, social security, Medicare - Payroll journal entries posted to ledger accounts...

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3. Financial Accounting-Adjusting Entries & Financial Statement

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4.5
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Adjusting entry creation, posting adjusting entries to a worksheet, creating financial statements from the trial balance...

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Best States For an Accounting Staff

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an accounting staff. The best states for people in this position are Oregon, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey. Accounting staff make the most in Oregon with an average salary of $66,101. Whereas in New York and Delaware, they would average $64,397 and $64,370, respectively. While accounting staff would only make an average of $64,057 in New Jersey, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Oregon

Total Accounting Staff Jobs: 684
Highest 10% Earn:
$94,000
Location Quotient:
1.39

$66,101

Avg. Salary

View 684 Accounting Staff Jobs In OR

2. Massachusetts

Total Accounting Staff Jobs: 1,717
Highest 10% Earn:
$84,000
Location Quotient:
1.57

$62,165

Avg. Salary

View 1,717 Accounting Staff Jobs In MA

3. New Jersey

Total Accounting Staff Jobs: 1,220
Highest 10% Earn:
$89,000
Location Quotient:
1.29

$64,057

Avg. Salary

View 1,220 Accounting Staff Jobs In NJ
Full List Of Best States For Accounting Staff

How Do Accounting Staff Rate Their Jobs?

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Top Accounting Staff Employers

Most Common Employers For Accounting Staff

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Citi$84,923$40.833
2Ernst & Young$64,652$31.086
3General Electric$63,845$30.692
4Crowe$60,271$28.983
5M.C. Dean$56,953$27.383
6JCPenney$56,456$27.146
7Wagner Spray Tech$55,302$26.593
8Pastoral Institute$54,405$26.162
9Kforce$54,311$26.114
10Matson$54,107$26.012
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Updated February 6, 2023