CPA role guide
Accounting Manager Salary
What accounting managers earn, how pay varies by industry and company size, and how the role leads to controller and finance leadership.
Modeled estimate · scaled from the verified national pay benchmark
Last updated June 2026 · Baseline: BLS OEWS (SOC 13-2011)
How much does an accounting manager make?
Verified baseline: OEWS May 2025 — Accountants and Auditors (13-2011). Role and credential figures are modeled estimates layered on top and are labeled Estimate.
Estimated median
$118,800
Modeled median for Accounting Manager from the verified national benchmark.
Model your payvs. national median
+42.0%
How this role compares to all accountants & auditors nationally.
Pay by roleEntry → senior growth
1.7×
Estimated pay scales about 1.7× from 0–1 yrs to 20+ yrs.
By experienceNational · Accountants & auditors
Verified$40.23/hr median hourly · $94,750 average
By role
Pay by role and level
Estimated median pay for each level on this track, scaled from the BLS national median.
Pay by role (national)
Estimated pay spans $85,400 (Senior Accountant) to $205,000 (Director of Finance) across the levels shown.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director of Finance | $205,000 | ||
| Controller | $163,200 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $118,800 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $85,400 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
Experience
How pay scales with experience
Estimated median pay across experience bands for this track.
Median by experience band
Estimated median pay roughly 1.7× from 0–1 yrs to 20+ yrs as experience compounds.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $102,200 | $114,500 |
| 2–4 years | $114,100 | $127,800 |
| 5–7 years | $128,300 | $143,700 |
| 8–12 years | $142,600 | $159,700 |
| 13–20 years | $156,800 | $175,600 |
| 20+ years | $168,700 | $188,900 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
The role
What an accounting manager owns
Accounting managers run the day-to-day accounting function — the monthly close, reconciliations, financial reporting, and a team of staff and senior accountants. It is the first true people-management rung on the industry ladder.
Pay depends heavily on team size, company scale, and industry. Tech and finance employers pay a premium; the role is a direct stepping stone to controller.
The path
Path to controller and beyond
The typical progression is senior accountant → accounting manager → assistant controller / controller. Building reporting depth, systems experience (ERP), and team-leadership track record accelerates the jump to controller.
CPAs in this role who add FP&A or technical-accounting (revenue recognition, consolidations) expertise tend to move up fastest.
By state
Accounting Manager Salary by state
Estimated pay for this role in the top-paying states — the role multiplier applied to each state's verified BLS wage. Every figure is a modeled Estimate, since BLS does not break pay out by role. Open a state for its full local guide.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an accounting manager make?
- An accounting manager estimate is around $118,800 median nationally, with a typical range of $95,100–$155,900+. Modeled estimate pending calibration.
- Accounting manager vs. controller pay?
- Controllers out-earn accounting managers because they own the entire accounting function and report to the CFO. The accounting manager typically leads a sub-team and reports to the controller.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
See your personal estimate
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