Arkansas · Salary guide
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR CPA Salary
CPA and accountant pay across the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro — percentiles and role-by-role estimates vs the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro
$65,810
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$54.1K–$88.1K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$112.9K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
-21.4%
Arkansas · vs U.S. median
Verified BLS wage benchmark for the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
-21.4%
The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro vs the national median and -0.8% vs Arkansas statewide.
Arkansas guideLicensed CPA · modeled
$73,700
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the local median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$112.9K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this metro — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your payLittle Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro
verified local median
$65,810
-21.4%Arkansas statewide
verified state median
$66,330
-20.7%National benchmark
verified
$83,680
base
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway runs -21.4% vs the national median and -0.8% vs Arkansas statewide. All three are direct BLS wage measurements for accountants and auditors at their own area level.
Cost of living
Real pay in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway
What the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway median actually buys once local prices are accounted for. Nominal pay is the verified BLS figure; the buying-power view divides it by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity (2024) for the metro.
Nominal
$65.8K
Price level
89.4/100
Real pay
$73.6K
Local prices run 11% below the national average, so pay here stretches further than the headline suggests — Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway rises 3 places once adjusted for buying power.
Real pay · BEA-adjustedA high nominal salary in an expensive metro can buy less than a smaller salary in a low-cost one. Real pay reorders the map by buying power — but it is not take-home pay: it excludes taxes, benefits, and housing choices.
See real pay across all metros →Best ways to use this page
- 1View percentiles
Find your percentile
See where your pay sits across the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway range, from entry level to top earners.
- 2See pay by role
Check your role
Pay climbs steeply from staff to controller. See the estimate for your title in this metro.
- 3Open the calculator
Model your own number
Set role, experience, license, and employer for a tailored estimate — equity and bonus broken out.
- 4Submit your pay
Add your salary
Anonymous, two minutes. Submissions are how role- and employer-level pay becomes real data.
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro · Accountants & auditors
Verified$31.64/hr median hourly · $80,220 average
Percentiles · Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,460 | $22.34/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $54,110 | $26.01/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $65,810 | $31.64/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $88,120 | $42.37/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $112,870 | $54.26/hr | Top earners |
By role
CPA roles in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway
Median estimates by role, scaled to the metro wage level.
Median pay by role
In the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro, estimated pay runs from $93,500 (Accounting Manager) to $256,700 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $256,700 | ||
| Partner | $236,900 | ||
| Director of Finance | $161,200 | ||
| Senior Manager | $134,900 | ||
| Controller | $128,300 | ||
| Tax Manager | $102,000 | ||
| Audit Manager | $102,000 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $93,500 | ||
| Audit Senior | $72,400 | ||
| Tax Senior | $71,100 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $67,100 | ||
| Audit Associate | $54,600 | ||
| Tax Associate | $54,000 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $51,300 |
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
CPA pay by experience in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway
The metro median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $56,600 | $63,400 |
| 2–4 years | $63,200 | $70,800 |
| 5–7 years | $71,100 | $79,600 |
| 8–12 years | $79,000 | $88,500 |
| 13–20 years | $86,900 | $97,300 |
| 20+ years | $93,500 | $104,700 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at a manager-level base on the metro median. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $114,200 | +7.6% |
| National firm | $107,100 | +0.9% |
| Regional firm | $100,000 | -5.7% |
| Local firm | $93,800 | -11.6% |
| Industry / corporate | $106,100 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What drives CPA pay in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway
The same factors move pay within a metro. Use the calculator to model your own.
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway market
The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro’s measured accountant pay sits far below the national median, at -21.4%. Within the state it runs essentially level with the Arkansas median (-0.8%) — it is one of the more representative markets in Arkansas, closely tracking the statewide figure. Metro pay reflects the local cost of labor and the density of large employers and public-accounting firms more than the job title itself. This is a direct BLS wage measurement for the metro, not an estimate scaled from the national figure.
Cost of labor
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway wages track the local cost of living and employer competition — denser, higher-cost metros pay above the statewide median.
Employer mix
Big 4 and national firms pay a brand premium; regional/local firms and government pay below industry roles at the same level.
Role & experience
Pay roughly doubles from staff to controller. The CPA license adds a modeled premium and unlocks senior roles.
Remote & hybrid
Remote roles can pay to a national band rather than the local one, widening access to higher-paying employers.
How to use these figures
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro figures here are a direct BLS wage measurement — but they cover accountants and auditors as a single occupation, so they are not specific to the CPA license, your role, or your employer. Use them as a local baseline, then model your own situation and submit a salary to sharpen the employer-level detail BLS does not publish.
Other metros
Compare nearby metro pay
CPA pay across other major metros — large, high-cost areas pay the strongest.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a CPA make in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway?
- The median accountant/auditor wage in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro is about $65,810 (-21.4% vs national). Licensed CPAs generally earn above this baseline.
- Does Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway pay more than the rest of Arkansas?
- Large metros like Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway typically pay above their statewide median due to higher cost of living and a denser concentration of large employers and public-accounting firms.
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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. Anonymous and quick.