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Best states for a staff accountant
Quoted expert
John Thornton Ph.D.
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Are you thinking of becoming a staff accountant and really want to work at Robert Half? Turns out, your chances to become a staff accountant are better in some states than others.Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for staff accountants. We found that District of Columbia is the best state in the nation for staff accountants, and people in Shirley earn the most in the field.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for staff accountants.District of Columbia is the best state, and Shirley is the city with the highest pay for staff accountants.
10 best states for staff accountants in 2025
1. District of Columbia
Total staff accountant jobs: 409 Average annual salary: $70,470 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 1.422. New York
Total staff accountant jobs: 2,424 Average annual salary: $67,093 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.13. Massachusetts
Total staff accountant jobs: 1,957 Average annual salary: $60,523 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 1.244. New Jersey
Total staff accountant jobs: 1,404 Average annual salary: $65,717 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.035. Rhode Island
Total staff accountant jobs: 243 Average annual salary: $58,100 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 1.166. Connecticut
Total staff accountant jobs: 601 Average annual salary: $59,958 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 1.057. Pennsylvania
Total staff accountant jobs: 2,505 Average annual salary: $54,456 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Location Quotient: 1.258. Delaware
Total staff accountant jobs: 212 Average annual salary: $57,485 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 0.989. California
Total staff accountant jobs: 6,932 Average annual salary: $58,651 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 1.3810. Virginia
Total staff accountant jobs: 1,411 Average annual salary: $59,365 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
Staff accountant jobsNear Ashburn, VA
How Zippia determines the best states to be a staff accountant
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a staff accountant
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $70,470 | $55,000 | 693,972 | 409 |
| 2 | New York | $67,093 | $52,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,424 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $60,523 | $47,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,957 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $65,717 | $51,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,404 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $58,100 | $45,000 | 1,059,639 | 243 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $59,958 | $47,000 | 3,588,184 | 601 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $54,456 | $42,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,505 |
| 8 | Delaware | $57,485 | $45,000 | 961,939 | 212 |
| 9 | California | $58,651 | $45,000 | 39,536,653 | 6,932 |
| 10 | Virginia | $59,365 | $46,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,411 |
| 11 | Washington | $57,920 | $45,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,193 |
| 12 | Oregon | $53,823 | $42,000 | 4,142,776 | 791 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $52,075 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,175 |
| 14 | Maryland | $57,531 | $45,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,084 |
| 15 | Colorado | $54,281 | $42,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,061 |
| 16 | Michigan | $51,440 | $40,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,136 |
| 17 | Alaska | $56,947 | $49,000 | 739,795 | 99 |
| 18 | Texas | $50,375 | $39,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,383 |
| 19 | Illinois | $50,728 | $39,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,350 |
| 20 | Ohio | $49,558 | $38,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,575 |
| 21 | Nevada | $48,494 | $37,000 | 2,998,039 | 421 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $51,542 | $40,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,272 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $50,811 | $40,000 | 1,342,795 | 260 |
| 24 | Arizona | $49,912 | $39,000 | 7,016,270 | 978 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $49,898 | $39,000 | 5,795,483 | 786 |
| 26 | Georgia | $50,768 | $39,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,515 |
| 27 | Utah | $47,787 | $37,000 | 3,101,833 | 585 |
| 28 | Vermont | $48,851 | $38,000 | 623,657 | 130 |
| 29 | Indiana | $48,021 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 862 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $46,231 | $36,000 | 6,715,984 | 924 |
| 31 | Iowa | $46,714 | $36,000 | 3,145,711 | 595 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $47,725 | $37,000 | 1,815,857 | 170 |
| 33 | Montana | $46,003 | $36,000 | 1,050,493 | 243 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $46,940 | $37,000 | 579,315 | 80 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $46,854 | $37,000 | 755,393 | 71 |
| 36 | Missouri | $46,413 | $36,000 | 6,113,532 | 981 |
| 37 | Kansas | $46,780 | $36,000 | 2,913,123 | 405 |
| 38 | Idaho | $47,254 | $37,000 | 1,716,943 | 219 |
| 39 | Alabama | $45,134 | $35,000 | 4,874,747 | 675 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $46,308 | $36,000 | 3,930,864 | 393 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $45,318 | $35,000 | 1,920,076 | 341 |
| 42 | Florida | $45,485 | $35,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,481 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $39,964 | $34,000 | 1,427,538 | 161 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $45,509 | $35,000 | 869,666 | 91 |
| 45 | Maine | $43,781 | $34,000 | 1,335,907 | 224 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $45,129 | $35,000 | 2,088,070 | 273 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $45,311 | $35,000 | 5,024,369 | 544 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $44,007 | $34,000 | 3,004,279 | 361 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $43,707 | $34,000 | 4,684,333 | 471 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $44,301 | $34,000 | 4,454,189 | 471 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $43,035 | $33,000 | 2,984,100 | 237 |
Highest paying states for staff accountants
| Rank | State | Avg. Staff Accountant Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $70,470 |
| 2 | New York | $67,093 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $60,523 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $65,717 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $58,100 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $59,958 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $54,456 |
| 8 | Delaware | $57,485 |
| 9 | California | $58,651 |
| 10 | Virginia | $59,365 |
| 11 | Washington | $57,920 |
| 12 | Oregon | $53,823 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $52,075 |
| 14 | Maryland | $57,531 |
| 15 | Colorado | $54,281 |
| 16 | Michigan | $51,440 |
| 17 | Alaska | $56,947 |
| 18 | Texas | $50,375 |
| 19 | Illinois | $50,728 |
| 20 | Ohio | $49,558 |
| 21 | Nevada | $48,494 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $51,542 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $50,811 |
| 24 | Arizona | $49,912 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $49,898 |
| 26 | Georgia | $50,768 |
| 27 | Utah | $47,787 |
| 28 | Vermont | $48,851 |
| 29 | Indiana | $48,021 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $46,231 |
| 31 | Iowa | $46,714 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $47,725 |
| 33 | Montana | $46,003 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $46,940 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $46,854 |
| 36 | Missouri | $46,413 |
| 37 | Kansas | $46,780 |
| 38 | Idaho | $47,254 |
| 39 | Alabama | $45,134 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $46,308 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $45,318 |
| 42 | Florida | $45,485 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $39,964 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $45,509 |
| 45 | Maine | $43,781 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $45,129 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $45,311 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $44,007 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $43,707 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $44,301 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $43,035 |
Expert opinions on the best states for staff accountants
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for staff 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).
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Updated January 8, 2025