Updated February 6, 2023

Average Senior Accountant Salary

$71,967yearly

$34.60 hourly

Entry level Salary
$55,000 yearly

How much does a Senior Accountant make?

Senior accountants make $71,967 per year on average, or $34.6 per hour, in the United States. Senior accountants on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $55,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $92,000.

Location impacts how much a senior accountant can expect to make. Senior accountants make the most in New York, New Jersey, California, Virginia, and Massachusetts.

Highest Paying States For Senior Accountants

Throughout the U.S., the average salary for a senior accountant is roughly $71,967 per year, which boils down to $34.6 per hour. Interestingly enough, senior accountants have the highest salaries in Washington, DC at about $89,005 per year. For those who are just starting out, the average entry-level salary in Washington, DC is $68,000. Additionally, senior accountants make more than the average salary in San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Jersey City, NJ, Arlington, VA, and Boston, MA. On a more broad level, senior accountant salaries are highest in New York, New Jersey, California, Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maryland. On the contrary, South Dakota, Idaho, and Nebraska offer the lowest senior accountant salaries.
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Average Salary:

Senior Accountant average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1District of Columbia$88,973$42.78330
2New York$83,749$40.261,479
3Massachusetts$74,654$35.891,070
4California$78,375$37.684,013
5New Jersey$81,097$38.99735
6Connecticut$73,717$35.44368
7Virginia$75,261$36.18948
8Maryland$73,334$35.26726
9Delaware$69,747$33.53134
10Texas$66,697$32.072,159
11Pennsylvania$66,729$32.081,026
12Washington$67,789$32.59792
13North Carolina$69,497$33.41731
14Rhode Island$66,026$31.74129
15Georgia$67,683$32.54880
16Illinois$62,465$30.031,617
17Nevada$62,336$29.97228
18Michigan$62,385$29.99639
19Ohio$61,382$29.51831
20Arizona$61,473$29.55556
21Oregon$61,641$29.64420
22Colorado$61,002$29.33816
23Indiana$61,503$29.57412
24Florida$61,019$29.341,373
25New Hampshire$60,117$28.90153
26Tennessee$58,860$28.30485
27West Virginia$60,819$29.2457
28Minnesota$58,065$27.92770
29Arkansas$59,047$28.39145
30Vermont$60,196$28.9443
31Utah$55,073$26.48345
32Maine$57,407$27.6084
33South Carolina$57,410$27.60291
34Alaska$60,079$28.8849
35Hawaii$54,922$26.4083
36Alabama$57,419$27.61222
37Missouri$54,992$26.44513
38Louisiana$56,850$27.33182
39Kentucky$55,079$26.48221
40Wisconsin$54,640$26.27429
41Oklahoma$56,023$26.93163
42Iowa$53,021$25.49299
43Mississippi$55,164$26.5283
44Kansas$52,765$25.37199
45New Mexico$54,127$26.02107
46Montana$46,651$22.43110
47Nebraska$47,712$22.94166
48Idaho$47,736$22.95111
49South Dakota$50,371$24.2258
50Wyoming$45,681$21.9637
51North Dakota$47,031$22.6147

Highest Paying Cities For Senior Accountants

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Washington, DC$89,005$42.7932
2San Francisco, CA$85,193$40.9652
3New York, NY$84,235$40.50115
4Jersey City, NJ$81,106$38.999
5Arlington, VA$75,595$36.348
6Boston, MA$74,597$35.8643
7Baltimore, MD$73,433$35.3026
8Raleigh, NC$70,609$33.958
9Wilmington, DE$69,709$33.5111
10Seattle, WA$68,172$32.7713
11Alpharetta, GA$67,579$32.4910
12Houston, TX$67,502$32.4579
13Philadelphia, PA$67,447$32.4329
14Chicago, IL$62,819$30.20112
15Detroit, MI$62,804$30.195

Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:

  1. Washington, DC
  2. San Francisco, CA
  3. New York, NY
  4. Jersey City, NJ
  5. Arlington, VA

Senior Accountants Salary Details

Average Senior Accountant Salary Graph
Average Senior Accountant Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Senior Accountant's Salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$92,000$7,667$44
75th Percentile$82,000$6,833$39
Average$71,967$5,997$35
25th Percentile$63,000$5,250$30
10th Percentile$55,000$4,583$26

Highest Paying Types of Senior Accountants

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Accounting Supervisor$68,923$5,744$33.1456,377
Account Leader$108,843$9,070$52.33135,207
Accountant/Consultant$64,298$5,358$30.9138,916
Accounting Consultant$62,830$5,236$30.2174,894
Finance Analyst/Accountant$62,975$5,248$30.28118,043
Fixed Asset Accountant$59,691$4,974$28.7042,860

How Would You Rate The Starting Salaries For Senior Accountants, As Well As The Prospects For Salary Advancement?

Thomas King

Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University

Starting salaries vary with accounting graduates, from $50k to six figures. It depends on the particular employer and job. Those students who demonstrate a strong work ethic, networkability, and good communication skills earn attractive salaries.

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

  1. BNY Mellon Jobs (140)
  2. Citi Jobs (64)
  3. State Street Jobs (84)
  4. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Jobs (65)
  5. AIG Jobs (61)

Which Companies Pay Senior Accountants The Most?

The highest paying companies for senior accountants are Google and PayPal according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, companies like Apple and Microsoft report highly competitive wages for senior accountants.
RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Google$109,092$52.4520
2PayPal$106,996$51.445
3Apple$105,839$50.881
4Microsoft$103,913$49.96
5AEA Investors$102,968$49.50
6eBay$102,312$49.191
7Rubrik$101,456$48.78
8Edelman Financial Engines$101,093$48.601
9AARP$100,703$48.41
10TIBCO Software$100,382$48.261
11Lindsey & Associates$100,276$48.21
12American Tower$100,236$48.191
13Uber Technologies$100,178$48.16
14Workday$100,168$48.1612
15Airbnb$99,875$48.02
16Marathon Petroleum$99,209$47.7012
17First Republic Bank$98,468$47.34
18Novartis$97,692$46.975
19Intuit$97,629$46.9427
20CF Industries$96,162$46.235

How Much Do Senior Accountants Make In Different Industries?

Here are some examples of how much a senior accountant salaries can based on different industries:

  1. The finance industry pays senior accountants an average salary of $74,982

  2. The technology industry pay $72,503

  3. The lowest paying industry for senior accountants is the government industry. Senior accountants in this industry earn an average salary of $61,641

Highest Paying Industries For Senior Accountants

RankIndustryAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Finance$74,982$36.05
2Technology$72,503$34.86
3Manufacturing$72,151$34.69
4Professional$70,561$33.92
5Health Care$67,866$32.63
6Hospitality$65,743$31.61
7Government$61,641$29.64

High Paying Senior Accountant Jobs

Senior Accountant Pay Trends

Average Senior Accountant Salary Over Time

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

    Senior Accountant Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$72,000$34.60+2.7%
    2022$70,000$33.65+1.5%
    2021$69,000$33.16+1.6%
    2020$67,800$32.62+1.7%
    2019$66,700$32.05+1.4%

    Recently Added Senior Accountant Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    CybercodersRemote Senior AccountantChicago, IL11/30/2022$70,000
    Morgenstern Waxman EllershawSenior Accountant-Hybrid/RemoteChicago, IL11/30/2022$80,000
    CliftonlarsonallenSenior Accountant-Healthcare-RemoteDes Moines, IA11/29/2022$60,000
    CliftonlarsonallenSenior Accountant-Healthcare-RemoteOrlando, FL11/29/2022$60,000
    CliftonlarsonallenSenior Accountant-Healthcare-RemoteMilwaukee, WI11/29/2022$60,000
    Highmark HealthSenior AccountantRaleigh, NC11/29/2022$50,200
    Highmark HealthSenior AccountantBoston, MA11/29/2022$50,200
    Highmark HealthSenior AccountantPhoenix, AZ11/29/2022$50,200
    Highmark HealthSenior AccountantBismarck, ND11/29/2022$50,200
    Highmark HealthSenior AccountantTallahassee, FL11/29/2022$50,200

    Senior Accountant Salaries FAQs

    What State Pays Senior Accountants The Most?

    New York pays Senior Accountants the most in the United States, with an average salary of $88,973 per year, or $42.78 per hour.

    How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Senior Accountant?

    You know if you are being paid fairly as a Senior Accountant if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New York you should be paid close to $83,749 per year.

    What Is A Good Starting Salary For A Senior Accountant?

    A good starting salary for a senior accountant is $54,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a senior accountant in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for senior accountants is $70,681, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a senior accountant can vary by state.

    What Is The Highest Salary For An Accountant?

    The highest salary for an accountant, looking at the 90th percentile in 2021, is $99,300 annually. The national average in the US for accountants is between $45,000 - $64,000. Washington DC is identified as offering the highest salaries at $87,500. The top-paying industries for accountants are finance and insurance.

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