Best states for a project accountant

Q: What is the best state for project accountants?

The best state to be a project accountant is District of Columbia based on project accountant salaries and job opportunities.

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

The highest paying state for project accountants is North Dakota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for project accountants?

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

Quoted expert

John Thornton Ph.D.

Rank 1 - 10
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Do you want to become a project accountant at Robert Half, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for project accountants that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Our research found that District of Columbia is the best state for project accountants, while New Jersey and New York are ranked highest in terms of median salary. District of Columbia has a median salary of $73,907 and New Jersey has the highest median salary among all 50 states for project accountants.

District of Columbia is the best state for jobs for project accountants, and Montana is the worst. The most common pay in District of Columbia is $73,907, while the median pay in Montana is $45,524.We found that District of Columbia is the best state for project accountant jobs, whereas Montana is the worst.

10 best states for project accountants in 2026

1. District of Columbia
Total project accountant jobs: 238
Average annual salary: $73,907
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000
Location Quotient:
1.34
Project accountant jobs in District of Columbia
2. Louisiana
Total project accountant jobs: 446
Average annual salary: $61,521
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
1.32
Project accountant jobs in Louisiana
3. New York
Total project accountant jobs: 969
Average annual salary: $67,321
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000
Location Quotient:
0.71
Project accountant jobs in New York
4. New Jersey
Total project accountant jobs: 467
Average annual salary: $70,398
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
0.55
Project accountant jobs in New Jersey
5. Wisconsin
Total project accountant jobs: 1,039
Average annual salary: $56,251
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
1.77
Project accountant jobs in Wisconsin
6. Michigan
Total project accountant jobs: 1,426
Average annual salary: $55,844
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
1.73
Project accountant jobs in Michigan
7. Nevada
Total project accountant jobs: 446
Average annual salary: $56,688
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
2.01
Project accountant jobs in Nevada
8. North Carolina
Total project accountant jobs: 548
Average annual salary: $65,166
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
0.54
Project accountant jobs in North Carolina
9. Pennsylvania
Total project accountant jobs: 740
Average annual salary: $60,151
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
0.6
Project accountant jobs in Pennsylvania
10. Connecticut
Total project accountant jobs: 296
Average annual salary: $62,102
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Location Quotient:
0.84
Project accountant jobs in Connecticut

Project accountant jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a project accountant

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

Detailed list of the best states for a project accountant

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	District of Columbia	$73,907	$55,000	693,972	238
2	Louisiana	$61,521	$45,000	4,684,333	446
3	New York	$67,321	$50,000	19,849,399	969
4	New Jersey	$70,398	$52,000	9,005,644	467
5	Wisconsin	$56,251	$42,000	5,795,483	1,039
6	Michigan	$55,844	$42,000	9,962,311	1,426
7	Nevada	$56,688	$41,000	2,998,039	446
8	North Carolina	$65,166	$48,000	10,273,419	548
9	Pennsylvania	$60,151	$45,000	12,805,537	740
10	Connecticut	$62,102	$46,000	3,588,184	296
11	California	$66,930	$49,000	39,536,653	2,412
12	Kentucky	$56,926	$42,000	4,454,189	510
13	Georgia	$60,786	$45,000	10,429,379	646
14	Virginia	$63,989	$47,000	8,470,020	638
15	Ohio	$53,630	$40,000	11,658,609	1,952
16	Illinois	$59,537	$45,000	12,802,023	1,066
17	Texas	$58,850	$43,000	28,304,596	1,484
18	Rhode Island	$59,575	$45,000	1,059,639	86
19	Oregon	$61,147	$46,000	4,142,776	283
20	Massachusetts	$60,389	$46,000	6,859,819	667
21	Missouri	$54,117	$41,000	6,113,532	1,156
22	South Carolina	$55,477	$41,000	5,024,369	606
23	Delaware	$59,436	$44,000	961,939	100
24	Colorado	$59,120	$44,000	5,607,154	541
25	Alabama	$53,272	$39,000	4,874,747	622
26	Oklahoma	$53,772	$40,000	3,930,864	450
27	Minnesota	$52,804	$40,000	5,576,606	1,472
28	West Virginia	$52,484	$39,000	1,815,857	180
29	Alaska	$60,379	$52,000	739,795	40
30	Utah	$55,688	$41,000	3,101,833	227
31	Arkansas	$52,137	$39,000	3,004,279	388
32	Tennessee	$51,518	$38,000	6,715,984	1,020
33	Washington	$58,930	$45,000	7,405,743	385
34	Arizona	$55,339	$41,000	7,016,270	426
35	Florida	$56,293	$41,000	20,984,400	1,079
36	Wyoming	$49,012	$37,000	579,315	120
37	New Hampshire	$51,281	$39,000	1,342,795	308
38	Vermont	$50,892	$39,000	623,657	141
39	New Mexico	$49,716	$36,000	2,088,070	374
40	Indiana	$49,910	$37,000	6,666,818	1,001
41	Nebraska	$49,269	$37,000	1,920,076	407
42	Kansas	$49,081	$37,000	2,913,123	491
43	Hawaii	$52,423	$43,000	1,427,538	74
44	Iowa	$47,387	$36,000	3,145,711	663
45	Maryland	$52,552	$39,000	6,052,177	522
46	South Dakota	$48,485	$37,000	869,666	142
47	Maine	$47,629	$37,000	1,335,907	203
48	Idaho	$46,105	$34,000	1,716,943	287
49	Mississippi	$47,073	$34,000	2,984,100	264
50	North Dakota	$44,704	$34,000	755,393	158
51	Montana	$45,524	$35,000	1,050,493	99

Highest paying states for project accountants

Rank	State	Avg. Project Accountant Salary
1	District of Columbia	$73,907
2	Louisiana	$61,521
3	New York	$67,321
4	New Jersey	$70,398
5	Wisconsin	$56,251
6	Michigan	$55,844
7	Nevada	$56,688
8	North Carolina	$65,166
9	Pennsylvania	$60,151
10	Connecticut	$62,102
11	California	$66,930
12	Kentucky	$56,926
13	Georgia	$60,786
14	Virginia	$63,989
15	Ohio	$53,630
16	Illinois	$59,537
17	Texas	$58,850
18	Rhode Island	$59,575
19	Oregon	$61,147
20	Massachusetts	$60,389
21	Missouri	$54,117
22	South Carolina	$55,477
23	Delaware	$59,436
24	Colorado	$59,120
25	Alabama	$53,272
26	Oklahoma	$53,772
27	Minnesota	$52,804
28	West Virginia	$52,484
29	Alaska	$60,379
30	Utah	$55,688
31	Arkansas	$52,137
32	Tennessee	$51,518
33	Washington	$58,930
34	Arizona	$55,339
35	Florida	$56,293
36	Wyoming	$49,012
37	New Hampshire	$51,281
38	Vermont	$50,892
39	New Mexico	$49,716
40	Indiana	$49,910
41	Nebraska	$49,269
42	Kansas	$49,081
43	Hawaii	$52,423
44	Iowa	$47,387
45	Maryland	$52,552
46	South Dakota	$48,485
47	Maine	$47,629
48	Idaho	$46,105
49	Mississippi	$47,073
50	North Dakota	$44,704
51	Montana	$45,524

Expert opinions on the best states for project accountants

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

Project accountant best states FAQs

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Search for project accountant jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs

Total project accountant jobs:	238
Average annual salary:	$73,907
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$55,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$98,000
Location Quotient:	1.34

Best states for a project accountant

10 best states for project accountants in 2026

1. District of Columbia

2. Louisiana

3. New York

4. New Jersey

5. Wisconsin

6. Michigan

7. Nevada

8. North Carolina

9. Pennsylvania

10. Connecticut