The average Certified Public Accountant salary is $85,456, according to Payscale Opens in new window. In comparison, the average staff accountant earns $60,797. Robert Half’s 2026 Salary Guide Opens in new window shows that the average salary for a staff accountant ranges from $61,000 to $87,750. Having the CPA certification helps you unlock higher earning potential and job opportunities as an accountant. 

Keep reading to learn more about the factors that affect your earning potential as a CPA, including your experience level, where you live, and the industry you work in.

Generally, the amount of experience you have is the single most important factor when determining your salary as a CPA.

As with almost all professions, the complexity of your role, as well as your experience level, is going to have a great influence on your expected salary.

According to Payscale Opens in new window, the average salary for an entry-level CPA is about $62,000 compared to a late-career CPA who makes around $110,000.

The Robert Half Salary Guide Opens in new window provides compensation ranges and personas of accounting candidates who are in the low, mid, or high salary range based on a candidate’s experience and skill level—which we’ve summarized below.

Having your CPA certification can help push you into the higher salary range compared to non-certified accountants. It’s worth noting that accountants in management and directorship positions are overwhelmingly those who hold the CPA license. In fact, for many senior positions, the CPA or a comparable certification is among the minimum requirements.

These candidate personas can be helpful for anyone looking at their own qualifications and assessing how that may translate to their salary—regardless of where they are in their career.

Overall, the salary range for accountants is pretty wide. If you’re applying to your first accounting job, your experience is reflected in the quality of your school, your grades, the relative prestige of the internships you’ve completed, and any relevant extracurricular activities.

Once you get that first job, experience starts to include actual time working in the industry, accomplishments that accompany the role(s) you’ve performed, and the skills you’ve developed.

As you build up your experience and skills, you can expect to see your salary increase as well. Companies are willing to pay to hire and retain talented accountants—especially experienced CPAs.

Consider, however, that the most highly specialized accountant probably isn’t going to be earning at the top of the salary range if they are working in a smaller, less complex organization. At the same time, there are some larger, more complex firms that pay their entry-level CPAs more than smaller firms pay more experienced CPAs.

Here is an example illustrating common stages along the career path for an accountant. 

The first big decision a new accountant makes is whether to go into public accounting or private accounting (also called “corporate” or “management” accounting). Despite what the title implies, a Certified Public Accountant can be found working in either sphere, and both public and private accountants are well-compensated.

Public accountants tend to make slightly more than their private peers in comparable roles. And remember, Certified Public Accountants also tend to make about 10-15% more than non-certified accountants.

Within public accounting, you have four career specialties available:

1. Auditing/Assurance
2. Taxation
3. IT Audit/Assurance
4. Advisory

For each of these paths, you have four different types of firms:

1. The Big Four
2. Leading International Firms
3. Regional Firms
4. Local Firms

It’s important to do your research on the different public accounting paths and the different types of firms so that you can find the perfect fit for your desired lifestyle.

These are the midpoint salaries for different public accounting roles in Tax Services or Audit and Assurance, according to Robert Half Opens in new window.

Roles in Tax Services	Salary
Tax Services Associate	$71,000
Senior Tax Services Associate	$95,250
Tax Services Manager	$121,500
Senior Tax Services Manager	$130,500
Tax Services Director	$180,500

 

Bottom Line: Public accounting is the fastest way to advance your accounting career (and your salary), but it will also be the most demanding.

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When working in private industry (performing accounting work for a company), there are dozens of different positions available to you.

Here are some examples, from entry-level positions all the way up to the top accounting spot:

Let’s take a look at the midpoint salaries for general private accounting work, according to Robert Half. Remember, CPAs can expect to earn 10-15% more on average than non-CPAs.

Roles	Salary
Entry-Level Staff Accountant	$62,000
Staff Accountant	$73,750
Senior Accountant	$94,750
Accounting Manager	$113,000
Corporate Controller	$185,000
Chief Financial Officer	$269,750

 

Bottom Line: Going from college into private industry is a good option for many students. The drawbacks are that career advancement and salary increases take much longer. On the plus side, these jobs are much less demanding than public accounting.

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Just about every company in the world needs financial services, so the sky’s the limit when it comes to where you can land your dream job. Here’s just a sampling of the industries in which you could find yourself as a CPA:

Within these industries, CPAs can have all kinds of jobs. Positions may fall within the following departments:

As industry affects CPA earnings, so does company size. CPAs can work for companies ranging from small, local businesses to massive, international corporations.

Large firms are willing and able to pay a premium to attract top talent. The more employees and assets a firm has or the more clients they service, the more complex various accounting functions become, and accountants’ salaries reflect that.

Generally speaking, the larger the company, the higher the pay for a given role, and the better defined your career path will be. The Big 4 accounting firms are good examples of public accounting firms where an entry-level CPA could expect to make a higher-than-average starting salary.

It’s difficult to give a dollar value to other forms of compensation, but it’s still important to mention here. Compensation and company culture vary wildly from employer to employer, but similarly sized organizations tend to have a few things in common.

It’s really a personal choice when you decide which industry and what size company you want to work for, but you need to account for benefits that can affect your quality of life.

For example, daycare can be a considerable expense for young working families, and an on-site daycare could save thousands of dollars and dozens of hours in commuting each year. At the same time, some people dislike the bureaucracy that comes with larger organizations, and they’re happier at the end of the day if they have more leeway to pursue their own ideas.

According to the 2026 Robert Half Salary Guide Opens in new window, hiring trends in accounting and finance continue to favor the job candidate. Companies are aware of the need to align with candidates’ compensation expectations. Predicted hiring trends include adding benefits and perks as well as higher starting salaries. This is a great time to go into accounting, and the CPA will help you land an even bigger starting salary than you could without it.

Even though technology is steadily revolutionizing the job market, many companies from all kinds of industries continue to rely on experienced financial staff to handle their accounts, and as a CPA, you may be selected for high-level positions with even higher compensation.

In general, the bigger the city, the higher the median salary for a CPA. There’s more competition, more opportunity, and more capital in cities, and a rising tide lifts all ships.

That said, the cost of living is higher in metropolitan areas, some more so than others, so location isn’t everything. If you dislike the cold and aren’t comfortable in a big city, you don’t have to live in New York or Chicago.

Accountants are generally well-compensated, so it is advisable to first find a place you want to live or a firm you want to work for and then allow the adjustments in the table below to inform your salary expectations.

In addition to increased salary potential, the CPA credential can increase your total earnings and provide several other benefits that will strengthen your accounting career.

These benefits of becoming a CPA clearly indicate that getting your CPA credential is one of the best career decisions you can make as an accountant or accounting student. It far outweighs the cost of the CPA Exam. Your salary package will vary depending on the type of accounting you choose, the field or industry you work in, your location, and your experience level. By choosing wisely for yourself, you can enjoy a satisfying and prosperous career as a CPA.