Accountants and Auditors: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Business and Financial Operations · SOC 13-2011 · O*NET 13-2011.00
Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Install or advise on systems of recording costs or other financial and budgetary data.
Accountants and Auditors fall under the Business and Financial Operations category in the U.S. occupational classification. Accountants and Auditors earn a median salary of $81,680 per year, ranking in the top 22% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +4.6% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about accountants and auditors right now
Accountants and auditors prepare and examine financial records, make sure taxes are paid correctly, and help organizations run efficiently. They work everywhere from Big Four firms and Fortune 500 finance departments to small CPA shops, the IRS, and nonprofits. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 124,200 openings each year over the decade, many of them generated by retirements and career changes. The median annual wage was $81,680 in May 2024. The standard entry path is a bachelor's degree in accounting or finance; the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credential, which usually requires 150 college credit hours plus a four-part exam and state-specific experience, opens the doors to higher pay, audit signoff authority, and partner-track roles. The trend parents should know is that AI and automation are eating the routine bookkeeping and data-entry tasks that used to fill an accountant's first two years, while demand grows for advisory work, forensic accounting, ESG reporting, and tax strategy. Industry groups including the AICPA report a structural CPA shortage, with U.S. accounting graduates falling roughly 6.6 percent in 2023 to 2024, which means well-prepared candidates have leverage. Teens who enjoy logical problem solving, are detail oriented, and want a stable, recession-resistant career with portable skills should consider it; strong performance in high school math and an AP economics or accounting elective are good starting points.
What do accountants and auditors earn?
The median annual wage for accountants and auditors is $81,680. That puts accountants and auditors at #180 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $52,780 |
| 25th percentile | $64,660 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $81,680 |
| 75th percentile | $106,450 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $141,420 |
| Median hourly wage | $39.27/hr |
Is accountants and auditors a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for accountants and auditors is +4.6%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 1.6M positions in 2024 to 1.7M in 2034, a net change of 73K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.
What do accountants and auditors do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working accountants and auditors, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Prepare detailed reports on audit findings.
- 2.Collect and analyze data to detect deficient controls, duplicated effort, extravagance, fraud, or non-compliance with laws, regulations, and management policies.
- 3.Supervise auditing of establishments, and determine scope of investigation required.
- 4.Confer with company officials about financial and regulatory matters.
- 5.Inspect cash on hand, notes receivable and payable, negotiable securities, and canceled checks to confirm records are accurate.
- 6.Examine and evaluate financial and information systems, recommending controls to ensure system reliability and data integrity.
- 7.Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards.
- 8.Prepare adjusting journal entries.
Top skills for accountants and auditors
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become accountants and auditor?
The standard path into accountants and auditors begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
How to become accountants and auditor: step by step
The typical education and licensing pathway from high school into this profession. Total time to entry is about 5-9 years to CPA + significant experience. Steps marked optional are common for advancement but not required to start.
- 1
Bachelor's Degree in Accounting
~4 yearsComplete a bachelor's degree in Accounting. Most CPA-track students need 150 credit hours (30 beyond bachelor's), so many complete a combined bachelor's/master's or take additional courses. Internships at accounting firms are crucial for full-time offers.
- •Financial Accounting I, II, III
- •Managerial/Cost Accounting
- •Auditing
- •Taxation (individual and corporate)
- •Accounting Information Systems
- •Business Law
- •Intermediate and Advanced Accounting
- •Internships (Big 4 or regional firms)
- 2
Additional Credits for CPA Eligibility
~1 yearMost states require 150 credit hours to sit for CPA exam (vs 120 for bachelor's). Complete additional 30 credits through Master's in Accounting (most common), MBA, or undergraduate courses. Some students complete this concurrently with bachelor's in 5-year programs.
- •Complete 150 credit hours total (30 beyond bachelor's)
- •Meet state-specific accounting course requirements
- •Options: Master's in Accounting, MAcc, MBA, or additional undergrad courses
- 3
CPA Certification
~1 yearPass the CPA Evolution exam structure (launched January 2024) and meet state experience requirements (typically 1-2 years under licensed CPA). Can begin taking exam sections after completing 120 credits. The new structure has 3 Core sections plus 1 Discipline section based on career focus. Average CPA candidate takes 12-18 months to pass all sections.
- •Pass all 3 Core sections + 1 Discipline section within 18-month window
- •Core Sections (all required):
- • - AUD: Auditing and Attestation
- • - FAR: Financial Accounting and Reporting
- • - REG: Regulation (taxation, business law)
- •Discipline Section (choose one specialization):
- • - BAR: Business Analysis and Reporting
- • - ISC: Information Systems and Controls
- • - TCP: Tax Compliance and Planning
- •Meet state work experience requirements (typically 1-2 years)
- •Note: BEC (Business Environment and Concepts) was eliminated in 2024 restructuring
CPA Exam (CPA Evolution model - effective January 10, 2024)Core Sections (all 3 required): AUD, FAR, REGDiscipline Section (choose 1 of 3): BAR, ISC, or TCP - 4
Professional Experience and Advancement
~3 yearsProgress from Staff/Junior Accountant to Senior Accountant and beyond. Big 4 and public accounting firms have structured promotion tracks. CPAs with 5-10 years experience can advance to Controller, Accounting Manager, or Partner track.
- •Staff Accountant → Senior Accountant → Manager track
- •Gain experience in audit, tax, advisory, or corporate accounting
- •If Big 4: typical promotion to Senior after 2-3 years
- •Develop specialization (tax, audit, forensic, financial reporting)
- •Consider additional certifications (CMA, CIA, CFE)
Licensing requirements for accountants and auditors
Accountants and Auditors are regulated at the state level in the United States. Practicing without a current license is not legal in most jurisdictions.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about accountants and auditors
What is the median salary for accountants and auditors?
The median annual salary for accountants and auditors is $81,680 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is accountants and auditors a growing career?
BLS projects +4.6% growth for accountants and auditors from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.
What education does my child need to become accountants and auditor?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to accountants and auditors?
Related occupations within the Business and Financial Operations category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.