1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
What is a Public Accountant?
The average public accountant salary is $58,843. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an accounting major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a public accountant. Public accountants with a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 90,700 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Public Accountant Do
There are certain skills that many public accountants 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 analytical skills, communication skills and detail oriented.
How To Become a Public Accountant
If you're interested in becoming a public accountant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 76.7% of public accountants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 10.0% of public accountants have master's degrees. Even though most public accountants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Public Accountant Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of accountant you might progress to a role such as tax accountant eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title tax manager.
Public Accountant
Tax Manager
8 Years
Senior Accounting Manager
10 Years
Cost Accounting Manager
7 Years
Division Controller
9 Years
Corporate Accounting Manager
8 Years
Senior Tax Manager
11 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Public Accountant
Public Accountants in America make an average salary of $58,843 per year or $28 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $80,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $43,000 per year.
Average Public Accountant Salary
$58,843 Yearly$28.29 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Public Accountant
There are several types of public accountant, including:
Staff Accountant
Role:
Many businesses rely on staff accountants to handle the "math" of the business. But that's just a lazy way for saying you'll be in charge of handling the budget and tax requirements. Basically, any financial records will be prepared and examined by you.
Depending on the industry you're in, the majority of the year will be your "busy season." Some industries this may not apply and you'll only be required to work the normal 40-hour work week.
Typically, staff accountants need a bit of an education to find a job. And no, we're not talking about a high school degree. Most employers prefer you to have a bachelor's degree. Here's to learning more math!
- Average Salary: $54,216
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Certified Public Accountant
Role:
A certified public accountant, or CPA for short, offers his/her or her services to companies or individuals in preparing forms for tax returns and financial statement documents. CPAs oversee audits, keep track of clients' financial records, and contribute to budgeting processes.
Knowing how to develop and implement bookkeeping policies and being familiar with local and federal laws and regulations of taxing procedures is a must, as this is what poses the challenge for people hiring CPAs. CPAs generally have basic computer skills and use accounting software to make the most of their time and resources.
In order to become a CPA, you need to have a BA in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field. As implied in the name, you need to obtain a certification to fill the role, and this is usually preceded by years of experience in the field as a public accountant.
- Average Salary: $76,693
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Project Accountant
Role:
Project accounting of a company allows keeping a track record of all the financial documents of the company, such as billings, bookings, budgets, costs, and estimates. This team is handled by none other than a project accountant. As a project accountant, you need to maintain the project records with the approval of incomes and expenditures, analyze the project buildings which are issued to the customers.
For this position, you need to have a minimum bachelor's degree in accounting, business management, or finance. Also, you must gain some additional requirements such as excellence in analytical skills, project management skills, communication skills, and maintaining strong relationships with staff and clients. The collected payments provide assistance for the development of financial aspects and more.
Project accountants generally work in the office for about 8 to 9 hours a day, for which they get paid up to $57,000 per annum or $27.82 per hour. You must feel comfortable to move countryside for any work related to the project.
- Average Salary: $60,467
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
States With The Most Public Accountant Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active public accountant jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where public accountants earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Public Accountant Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 2,887 | $64,225 |
| 2 | Texas | 1,755 | $56,419 |
| 3 | Florida | 1,275 | $45,663 |
| 4 | Illinois | 1,181 | $50,634 |
| 5 | New York | 1,171 | $78,673 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 845 | $58,677 |
| 7 | Georgia | 794 | $48,271 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 753 | $69,189 |
| 9 | Virginia | 749 | $70,275 |
| 10 | Ohio | 719 | $54,248 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 655 | $57,369 |
| 12 | Colorado | 568 | $64,290 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 565 | $52,441 |
| 14 | New Jersey | 562 | $73,841 |
| 15 | Michigan | 549 | $57,920 |
| 16 | Maryland | 548 | $61,651 |
| 17 | Missouri | 497 | $47,781 |
| 18 | Arizona | 464 | $54,557 |
| 19 | Washington | 436 | $58,874 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 436 | $47,547 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 390 | $56,155 |
| 22 | Indiana | 354 | $47,555 |
| 23 | Connecticut | 343 | $53,497 |
| 24 | Oregon | 317 | $61,899 |
| 25 | Iowa | 295 | $47,423 |
| 26 | Utah | 281 | $46,482 |
| 27 | Alabama | 259 | $44,126 |
| 28 | South Carolina | 246 | $43,779 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | 231 | $51,476 |
| 30 | Nevada | 212 | $52,440 |
| 31 | Kentucky | 205 | $47,610 |
| 32 | Louisiana | 203 | $49,395 |
| 33 | Kansas | 168 | $46,084 |
| 34 | Nebraska | 149 | $45,206 |
| 35 | Arkansas | 138 | $47,395 |
| 36 | Mississippi | 122 | $42,253 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | 121 | $68,688 |
| 38 | Montana | 118 | $59,622 |
| 39 | New Mexico | 109 | $48,705 |
| 40 | Delaware | 104 | $61,612 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | 104 | $64,043 |
| 42 | Idaho | 99 | $53,679 |
| 43 | Hawaii | 73 | $49,845 |
| 44 | Maine | 70 | $49,540 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 65 | $46,401 |
| 46 | Alaska | 57 | $60,927 |
| 47 | Vermont | 55 | $52,643 |
| 48 | South Dakota | 54 | $44,993 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 45 | $44,950 |
| 50 | North Dakota | 36 | $44,244 |
Top Colleges for Public Accountants
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
8. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
10. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
Top Skills For a Public Accountant
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, 17.0% of public accountants listed cpa on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Public Accountant Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Public Accountant templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Public Accountant resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Public Accountant diversity
Public Accountant Gender Distribution
Male
52%
Female
48%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among public accountants, 48.0% of them are women, while 52.0% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among public accountants is White, which makes up 63.1% of all public accountants.
- The most common foreign language among public accountants is Spanish at 40.5%.
Online Courses For Public Accountant That You May Like
Advertising Disclosure
1. Financial Accounting Payroll
Payroll calculations - federal income tax, social security, Medicare - Payroll journal entries posted to ledger accounts...
2. Financial Accounting Subsidiary Ledgers & Special Journals
Subsidiary ledgers for accounts receivable & accounts payable. Special Journals - Sales journal, purchases journal...
3. Financial Accounting-Adjusting Entries & Financial Statement
Adjusting entry creation, posting adjusting entries to a worksheet, creating financial statements from the trial balance...
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary
Best States For a Public Accountant
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a public accountant. The best states for people in this position are New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts. Public accountants make the most in New York with an average salary of $78,673. Whereas in New Jersey and Virginia, they would average $73,841 and $70,275, respectively. While public accountants would only make an average of $69,189 in Massachusetts, 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. New York
Total Public Accountant Jobs: 1,171
Highest 10% Earn:
$111,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
$78,673
Avg. Salary
2. Rhode Island
Total Public Accountant Jobs: 121
Highest 10% Earn:
$97,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
$68,688
Avg. Salary
3. District of Columbia
Total Public Accountant Jobs: 292
Highest 10% Earn:
$102,000
Location Quotient:
2.19
$72,705
Avg. Salary
How Do Public Accountants Rate Their Jobs?
Top Public Accountant Employers
Most Common Employers For Public Accountant
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ernst & Young | $95,777 | $46.05 | 7 |
| 2 | IBM | $92,664 | $44.55 | 3 |
| 3 | Dell | $87,995 | $42.31 | 2 |
| 4 | Pwc | $77,947 | $37.47 | 3 |
| 5 | Billups | $71,629 | $34.44 | 1 |
| 6 | Benton County | $66,166 | $31.81 | 2 |
| 7 | Davis & Company | $64,562 | $31.04 | 2 |
| 8 | KPMG LLP | $64,260 | $30.89 | 3 |
| 9 | Moss Adams | $64,145 | $30.84 | 2 |
| 10 | Draffin Tucker | $62,748 | $30.17 | 1 |