Best states for a general accountant

Q: What is the best state for general accountants?

The best state to be a general accountant is New York based on general accountant salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for general accountants?

The highest paying state for general accountants is Mississippi based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for general accountants?

The worst state for general accountants is Mississippi, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

John Thornton Ph.D.

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Do you want to become a general accountant at Marriott International, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for general accountants that you can check out, before you begin your journey. We wanted to look at the best states for general accountants -- where there are plenty of general accountant jobs to go around and general accountants get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

New York is the best state for jobs for general accountants, and Mississippi is the worst. The most common pay in New York is $70,027, while the median pay in Mississippi is $41,025.New York is the best state, and Fort Lee is the city with the highest pay for general accountants.

10 best states for general accountants in 2026

1. New York
Total general accountant jobs: 2,815
Average annual salary: $70,027
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1.83
General accountant jobs in New York
2. District of Columbia
Total general accountant jobs: 429
Average annual salary: $70,157
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
2.14
General accountant jobs in District of Columbia
3. New Jersey
Total general accountant jobs: 1,417
Average annual salary: $77,998
Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000
Location Quotient:
1.49
General accountant jobs in New Jersey
4. Washington
Total general accountant jobs: 1,259
Average annual salary: $66,865
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
1.44
General accountant jobs in Washington
5. Massachusetts
Total general accountant jobs: 1,797
Average annual salary: $63,888
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Location Quotient:
1.64
General accountant jobs in Massachusetts
6. Rhode Island
Total general accountant jobs: 253
Average annual salary: $58,768
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Location Quotient:
1.74
General accountant jobs in Rhode Island
7. Connecticut
Total general accountant jobs: 697
Average annual salary: $59,955
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
1.76
General accountant jobs in Connecticut
8. Oregon
Total general accountant jobs: 909
Average annual salary: $57,660
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
1.83
General accountant jobs in Oregon
9. Delaware
Total general accountant jobs: 297
Average annual salary: $57,099
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
1.98
General accountant jobs in Delaware
10. California
Total general accountant jobs: 7,066
Average annual salary: $59,988
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Location Quotient:
2.02
General accountant jobs in California

General accountant jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a general accountant

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

Detailed list of the best states for a general accountant

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$70,027	$52,000	19,849,399	2,815
2	District of Columbia	$70,157	$52,000	693,972	429
3	New Jersey	$77,998	$58,000	9,005,644	1,417
4	Washington	$66,865	$50,000	7,405,743	1,259
5	Massachusetts	$63,888	$47,000	6,859,819	1,797
6	Rhode Island	$58,768	$44,000	1,059,639	253
7	Connecticut	$59,955	$44,000	3,588,184	697
8	Oregon	$57,660	$43,000	4,142,776	909
9	Delaware	$57,099	$42,000	961,939	297
10	California	$59,988	$44,000	39,536,653	7,066
11	Pennsylvania	$56,699	$42,000	12,805,537	921
12	Virginia	$57,827	$43,000	8,470,020	800
13	Maryland	$58,722	$43,000	6,052,177	620
14	Georgia	$55,375	$41,000	10,429,379	768
15	North Carolina	$54,069	$40,000	10,273,419	637
16	Nevada	$51,648	$38,000	2,998,039	204
17	New Hampshire	$50,875	$38,000	1,342,795	309
18	Minnesota	$52,136	$40,000	5,576,606	653
19	Ohio	$50,717	$38,000	11,658,609	800
20	Kentucky	$51,547	$39,000	4,454,189	228
21	Vermont	$50,945	$38,000	623,657	96
22	Louisiana	$52,558	$38,000	4,684,333	197
23	Texas	$50,762	$37,000	28,304,596	1,894
24	Alaska	$55,065	$46,000	739,795	51
25	Wisconsin	$52,231	$39,000	5,795,483	0
26	New Mexico	$50,709	$38,000	2,088,070	125
27	Colorado	$50,466	$39,000	5,607,154	649
28	Michigan	$49,910	$37,000	9,962,311	576
29	Florida	$50,568	$37,000	20,984,400	1,303
30	Maine	$47,802	$36,000	1,335,907	243
31	Illinois	$49,079	$37,000	12,802,023	1,292
32	Utah	$50,048	$38,000	3,101,833	0
33	Arizona	$49,278	$36,000	7,016,270	515
34	South Dakota	$45,173	$34,000	869,666	158
35	West Virginia	$48,153	$36,000	1,815,857	63
36	Oklahoma	$47,898	$36,000	3,930,864	216
37	Nebraska	$44,265	$34,000	1,920,076	442
38	South Carolina	$48,903	$36,000	5,024,369	271
39	Alabama	$46,681	$34,000	4,874,747	300
40	Idaho	$42,363	$32,000	1,716,943	298
41	Arkansas	$46,566	$35,000	3,004,279	152
42	North Dakota	$41,889	$32,000	755,393	151
43	Iowa	$43,836	$33,000	3,145,711	346
44	Hawaii	$42,071	$36,000	1,427,538	85
45	Wyoming	$44,953	$34,000	579,315	39
46	Montana	$41,862	$32,000	1,050,493	119
47	Kansas	$45,078	$34,000	2,913,123	181
48	Missouri	$42,389	$32,000	6,113,532	519
49	Tennessee	$41,170	$31,000	6,715,984	502
50	Indiana	$42,810	$32,000	6,666,818	382
51	Mississippi	$41,025	$30,000	2,984,100	124

Highest paying states for general accountants

Rank	State	Avg. General Accountant Salary
1	New York	$70,027
2	District of Columbia	$70,157
3	New Jersey	$77,998
4	Washington	$66,865
5	Massachusetts	$63,888
6	Rhode Island	$58,768
7	Connecticut	$59,955
8	Oregon	$57,660
9	Delaware	$57,099
10	California	$59,988
11	Pennsylvania	$56,699
12	Virginia	$57,827
13	Maryland	$58,722
14	Georgia	$55,375
15	North Carolina	$54,069
16	Nevada	$51,648
17	New Hampshire	$50,875
18	Minnesota	$52,136
19	Ohio	$50,717
20	Kentucky	$51,547
21	Vermont	$50,945
22	Louisiana	$52,558
23	Texas	$50,762
24	Alaska	$55,065
25	Wisconsin	$52,231
26	New Mexico	$50,709
27	Colorado	$50,466
28	Michigan	$49,910
29	Florida	$50,568
30	Maine	$47,802
31	Illinois	$49,079
32	Utah	$50,048
33	Arizona	$49,278
34	South Dakota	$45,173
35	West Virginia	$48,153
36	Oklahoma	$47,898
37	Nebraska	$44,265
38	South Carolina	$48,903
39	Alabama	$46,681
40	Idaho	$42,363
41	Arkansas	$46,566
42	North Dakota	$41,889
43	Iowa	$43,836
44	Hawaii	$42,071
45	Wyoming	$44,953
46	Montana	$41,862
47	Kansas	$45,078
48	Missouri	$42,389
49	Tennessee	$41,170
50	Indiana	$42,810
51	Mississippi	$41,025

Expert opinions on the best states for general accountants

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for general accountants 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).

General accountant best states FAQs

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Search for general accountant jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs

Total general accountant jobs:	2,815
Average annual salary:	$70,027
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$52,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$93,000
Location Quotient:	1.83

Best states for a general accountant

10 best states for general accountants in 2026

1. New York

2. District of Columbia

3. New Jersey

4. Washington

5. Massachusetts

6. Rhode Island

7. Connecticut

8. Oregon

9. Delaware

10. California