California has the highest number of CPAs and accountants in the United States, with employment figures exceeding 166,000 to 173,000. It is followed by New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois.
And the according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, these 5 states had the highest number of accountants and auditors in 2018:
All states require 150 credit hours, but there are nuances and other potential requirements.
According to data from the BLS, the top five highest-paying states for CPAs in the U.S. are the District of Columbia, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and California. The higher-than-average salaries for CPAs in these areas can be attributed to several factors: High demand for accounting services.
The overall pass rate across all sections averages approximately 50%, though this varies considerably by section and quarter. In 2024, the states with the highest pass rates were Nebraska with 61.9%, Utah with 58.6%, and Montana with 57.4%.
Many CPAs in public accounting work for accounting or consulting firms, from local boutiques to the “Big Four” firms—Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)—which are responsible for auditing about 80% of America's public companies.
Will AI replace accountants? Not entirely—but it will change accounting. Firms that embrace AI and technology will attract forward-thinking clients and top talent. Accountants who pair their expertise with AI tools will stay ahead of the curve.
The basics: U.S. faces CPA shortage, with 124,200 new accounting jobs per year expect to open through 2034.
What State Is Best for the CPA License? If you want to take the CPA exam as early as possible with fewer requirements, Alaska is a good state to get your CPA license in because it allows candidates to sit while completing an undergraduate degree if within 18 hours of meeting bachelor's degree requirements.
Becoming certified is a lot like getting a law license. It's proof that you've mastered the vital elements of your profession through years of academic and technical training. As a CPA, you'll also have access to jobs with higher authority and responsibility — and you'll enjoy greater career stability.
We're also seeing very high demand for many accounting positions through 2025, from entry-level positions up to senior-level management positions. Staff accountants are essential to the day-to-day accuracy of an organization's financial operations and are often the backbone of an accounting department.
Making $500,000 a year is quite rare, placing you in roughly the top 1% (or slightly below, depending on data) of U.S. earners, with estimates suggesting only about 0.8% to 1% of individuals or households achieve this income, though government data can obscure this; it's a significant financial milestone, yet surprisingly, many high earners still feel financially stretched due to lifestyle inflation and high costs.
To be in the top 1% of US earners, you generally need an income well over $700,000 nationally, with figures around $794,000 cited for recent years, but this varies significantly by state, requiring over $1 million in places like Connecticut and Massachusetts, while being around $400,000-$450,000 in lower-cost states like West Virginia and Mississippi.
Positions with a $1 million annual salary are most commonly found in executive leadership (such as CEOs and CFOs), high-level finance roles (like investment bankers or hedge fund managers), specialized medical professions, and top-tier sales or technology roles (such as senior partners or principal engineers).
How much is $450,000 a year hourly? If you're earning $450,000 annually, your hourly wage is approximately $216.35 . To calculate this, divide your yearly salary by the average number of working hours per year — typically 2080 hours (52 weeks x 40 hours). So, $450,000 divided by 2080 equals an hourly income of $216.35.