Texas · Controller Salary
Controller Salary in Texas
What controllers earn in Texas — an estimated median and range built on the verified BLS OEWS May 2025 wage for accountants and auditors in the state.
Estimate · verified BLS Texas wage ($80,920) → controller role multiplier · updated June 2026
How much does a Controller make in Texas?
Verified: the BLS OEWS May 2025 Texas wage for Accountants & Auditors (SOC 13-2011). The controller figure is a modeled Estimate layered on it — BLS publishes no role-specific wage.
Controller · estimated median
$157,800
Modeled median for a controller in Texas, scaled from the verified BLS state wage.
Model your payTexas · verified BLS median
$80,920
The measured OEWS May 2025 median for accountants & auditors in Texas — the base every estimate here is built on.
All Texas payState rank (verified)
#20 of 51
Where Texas ranks on the BLS-measured median for accountants & auditors.
Compare statesVerified baseline
The BLS measurement behind this page
BLS OEWS May 2025 reports wages for the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011) in Texas — not for controllers, and not for CPAs. These percentiles are direct measurements.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $53,380 | $25.66/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $65,560 | $31.52/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $80,920 | $38.91/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $103,760 | $49.88/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $132,040 | $63.48/hr | Top earners |
The Texas figures above, straight from the OEWS May 2025 release: a $80,920 median across 116,470 accountants and auditors employed in Texas.
Every controller figure on this page — $157,800 median included. It is the verified state median scaled by this role’s multiplier (1.95×), because BLS publishes no controller-specific wage.
Comparison
Controller pay in Texas vs. national
Texas's measured accountant median runs -3.3% versus the U.S. figure. The role rows are estimates built on those two verified benchmarks.
Controller — Texas
estimated median
$157,800
+95.0%Controller — national
estimated median
$163,200
+101.7%All accountants — Texas
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$80,920
baseAll accountants — national
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$83,680
+3.4%
The controller estimate sits +95.0% above the verified Texas accountant median and -3.3% versus the national controller estimate. Verified rows are BLS measurements; role rows are modeled.
Texas market
What shapes controller pay in Texas
Texas pairs a large, fast-growing economy with no state income tax, so take-home pay can stretch further than the headline number suggests. Energy, corporate headquarters relocations, and the Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston metros concentrate the higher-paying accounting and finance roles.
The controller leads a company's accounting operations — the monthly close, financial reporting, internal controls, and often payroll, AP/AR, and audit coordination. It is typically the most senior technical-accounting role below the CFO.
Pay scales sharply with company size, industry, and complexity, and the CPA license is frequently expected. Controllers at larger companies and in finance- or tech-heavy markets sit at the top of the range.
Role ladder
Controller vs. other roles in Texas
Each level's multiplier applied to Texas's verified BLS median. Estimates — the comparison is consistent because every row shares one measured base.
Estimated pay by role · Texas
On Texas's verified pay base, estimated pay spans $63,100 (Staff Accountant) to $315,600 (Chief Financial Officer). Controller sits at $157,800.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $315,600 | ||
| Partner | $291,300 | ||
| Director of Finance | $198,300 | ||
| Senior Manager | $165,900 | ||
| Controller | $157,800 | ||
| Tax Manager | $125,400 | ||
| Audit Manager | $125,400 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $114,900 | ||
| Audit Senior | $89,000 | ||
| Tax Senior | $87,400 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $82,500 | ||
| Audit Associate | $67,200 | ||
| Tax Associate | $66,400 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $63,100 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
Controller pay by experience in Texas
Texas's verified pay base scaled across experience bands at the controller level. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $135,700 | $152,000 |
| 2–4 years | $151,500 | $169,700 |
| 5–7 years | $170,400 | $190,800 |
| 8–12 years | $189,400 | $212,100 |
| 13–20 years | $208,300 | $233,300 |
| 20+ years | $224,100 | $251,000 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
Controller pay by employer type in Texas
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at this role's level on the verified state pay base. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $176,700 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $165,700 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $154,600 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $145,200 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $164,100 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
By metro
Controller pay across Texas metros
BLS measures 26 metro areas for accountants and auditors in Texas. The measured median is verified; the controller column applies this role's multiplier to it.
| Metro area | Accountants medianBLS verified | Controller medianEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| Midland | $100,890 | $196,700 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $85,090 | $165,900 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $83,120 | $162,100 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $82,620 | $161,100 |
| Odessa | $80,260 | $156,500 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $78,650 | $153,400 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $76,680 | $149,500 |
| Amarillo | $76,200 | $148,600 |
Metro medians are direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurements. The controller column is modeled from them.
Peer markets
States that pay like Texas
Ranked immediately around Texas (#20 of 51) on the verified BLS accountant median — the closest comparables for a controller weighing a move.
Compare states
Controller pay in other states
Where controllers are estimated to earn the most, built on each state's verified BLS median — Texas ranks #20 of 51.
Controller salary in Texas — FAQ
- How much does a Controller make in Texas?
- A controller in Texas earns an estimated $157,800 per year, typically ranging from $127,800 to $202,300+. That is -3.3% versus the national controller estimate of $163,200. The figure is a modeled estimate: BLS publishes no controller-specific wage, so we scale the BLS OEWS May 2025 verified Texas median for accountants and auditors ($80,920) by this role's multiplier.
- What do BLS figures actually say about Texas?
- BLS measures the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011), not CPAs or controllers specifically. For Texas, the verified OEWS May 2025 median is $80,920, with a 25th–75th percentile band of $65,560–$103,760 and 116,470 accountants and auditors employed in Texas. Everything role-specific on this page is layered on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate.
- Is Texas a good state to work as a Controller?
- Texas ranks #20 of 51 on the verified BLS median for accountants and auditors, running -3.3% versus the national median. Controllers are estimated to track that same gap. Weigh it against cost of living, the local mix of firms and industry employers, and remote roles that may pay to a national band.
- Does a Controller in Texas earn more than the average accountant?
- Yes — the controller estimate of $157,800 runs +95.0% versus the verified Texas median for all accountants and auditors ($80,920). That gap is the modeled role premium, not a measured one: BLS reports one wage for the whole occupation, and senior and specialized roles sit above that broad-occupation midpoint.
- Which Texas metro pays controllers the most?
- On the verified BLS metro medians for accountants and auditors, Midland leads Texas at $100,890 — about +32.4% versus Amarillo ($76,200). Controller pay is estimated to follow the same metro ordering, since the role multiplier applies on top of each metro's measured base.
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.
Add your Texas controller salary
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