Accounting degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in accounting earn a median $74,373 four years after finishing, across 741 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in accounting earn $73,098, $11,049 more than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is accountants and auditors (40%).
Median across 741 colleges; middle half $66,326–$84,668.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $48,881–$101,425. 12,224 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Accounting"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$37,460/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs accounting graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in accounting actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Job | Share of graduates | U.S. median wage | Jobs growth 2025-35 | Typical entry | Interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accountants And Auditors | 40% | $83,680 | +5.0% | Bachelor's degree | CEI |
| Financial Managers | 5% | $166,570 | +9.7% | Bachelor's degree | EC |
| Other Managers | 3% | — | — | — | — |
| Financial And Investment Analysts | 3% | $102,740 | +7.2% | Bachelor's degree | CEI |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, And Auditing Clerks | 2% | $50,670 | -5.6% | Some college, no degree | CE |
| Management Analysts | 2% | $101,860 | +10.1% | Bachelor's degree | CIE |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 1% | $105,070 | +1.4% | Bachelor's degree | ECS |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1% | $44,770 | -5.3% | High school diploma or equivalent | CES |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).
Who tends to enjoy this work
The jobs these graduates hold score highest on Conventional, Enterprising, Investigative interests (O*NET), weighted by how many graduates hold each job. A rough guide to fit, not a test.
O*NET 31.0 interest scores (1-7) for each job, weighted by Census share of graduates; EducationGuide calculation.
Accounting earnings by state
Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.
| State | Graduates, 4 yrs (colleges) | Ages 25-34 (respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $63,963 (18) | $58,884 (148) |
| Arizona | $86,901 (5) | $68,216 (153) |
| Arkansas | $68,976 (12) | — |
| California | $85,965 (24) | $78,204 (1,357) |
| Colorado | $71,577 (9) | $83,789 (251) |
| Connecticut | $91,777 (15) | $91,651 (161) |
| Delaware | $71,644 (4) | — |
| District of Columbia | $115,852 (6) | — |
| Florida | $73,868 (23) | $60,915 (553) |
| Georgia | $67,666 (17) | $61,101 (355) |
| Idaho | $68,572 (6) | — |
| Illinois | $74,922 (32) | $81,220 (703) |
| Indiana | $71,848 (23) | $73,735 (247) |
| Iowa | $75,806 (18) | $68,216 (139) |
| Kansas | $68,298 (10) | $71,068 (116) |
| Kentucky | $70,216 (10) | $58,657 (177) |
| Louisiana | $60,861 (15) | $59,662 (125) |
| Maine | $65,815 (5) | — |
| Maryland | $81,796 (11) | $83,527 (272) |
| Massachusetts | $86,396 (15) | $85,541 (355) |
| Michigan | $73,056 (28) | $69,266 (346) |
| Minnesota | $74,943 (22) | $83,789 (310) |
| Mississippi | $64,873 (8) | — |
| Missouri | $68,126 (22) | $68,149 (191) |
| Nebraska | $75,139 (5) | — |
| New Hampshire | $68,904 (6) | — |
| New Jersey | $84,906 (19) | $78,204 (634) |
| New York | $78,820 (52) | $78,710 (981) |
| North Carolina | $73,640 (22) | $73,321 (294) |
| North Dakota | $66,707 (5) | — |
| Ohio | $75,642 (42) | $73,463 (509) |
| Oklahoma | $73,074 (9) | — |
| Oregon | $77,653 (9) | $73,463 (140) |
| Pennsylvania | $76,955 (61) | $71,594 (627) |
| Rhode Island | $86,076 (7) | — |
| South Carolina | $79,844 (11) | $65,628 (129) |
| South Dakota | $69,079 (5) | — |
| Tennessee | $70,098 (14) | $67,032 (204) |
| Texas | $70,715 (44) | $68,216 (907) |
| Utah | $85,554 (9) | $71,068 (137) |
| Virginia | $78,706 (12) | $83,789 (359) |
| Washington | $78,045 (14) | $78,204 (284) |
| West Virginia | $71,104 (5) | — |
| Wisconsin | $75,126 (22) | $69,655 (226) |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where accounting graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 33 in Florida, 24 in Virginia, 39 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.
| # | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara UniversityCA | $130,087 | $19,250 |
| 2 | University of Southern CaliforniaCA | $121,101 | $16,500 |
| 3 | Washington and Lee UniversityVA | $118,946 | $16,750 |
| 4 | University of RichmondVA | $112,202 | $20,757 |
| 5 | Loyola Marymount UniversityCA | $111,733 | $17,000 |
| 6 | University of San DiegoCA | $109,142 | $24,969 |
| 7 | Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaCA | $107,570 | $25,000 |
| 8 | University of MiamiFL | $102,344 | $17,500 |
| 9 | Chapman UniversityCA | $102,147 | $21,250 |
| 10 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVA | $99,528 | $18,500 |
| 11 | James Madison UniversityVA | $98,767 | $22,484 |
| 12 | University of San FranciscoCA | $95,973 | $24,660 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Accounting degree questions
How much do Accounting graduates make?
Accounting graduates earn a median $74,373 four years after finishing, across 741 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $66,326 to $84,668; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in accounting, the median is $73,098 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Accounting degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in accounting earn a median $73,098: $11,049 more than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $37,460 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Accounting graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in accounting, the most common jobs are accountants and auditors (40%), financial managers (5%), other managers (3%). Accountants And Auditors earn a U.S. median $83,680.
How much do Accounting graduates earn in Florida?
Across 23 Florida colleges reporting, Accounting graduates earn a median $73,868 four years after graduating; at ages 25-34, Floridians with this field of degree earn $60,915.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all degrees
Cite this: “Accounting degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/accounting.