California · Salary guide
California CPA Salary
What CPAs and accountants earn in California — percentiles, top metros, and pay by role, compared to the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · California
$97,050
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$75.8K–$125.9K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$160.5K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
+16.0%
Ranks #6 of 51 states + DC
Verified BLS wage benchmark for California · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in California?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in California. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
+16.0%
California ranks #6 of 51 states + DC by BLS-measured median.
See the rankingLicensed CPA · modeled
$108,700
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the California median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$160.5K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this state — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your payBest ways to use this page
- 1View percentiles
Find your percentile
See where your pay lands in California's range — from entry level to the 90th percentile.
- 2Compare metros
Compare your metro
Big metros usually pay above the statewide median. Check the city closest to you.
- 3Open the calculator
Model your own number
Set your role, experience, license, and employer to get a tailored estimate — with 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.
California · Accountants & auditors
Verified$46.66/hr median hourly · $103,760 average
Percentiles in California
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $61,770 | $29.70/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $75,810 | $36.45/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $97,050 | $46.66/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $125,850 | $60.50/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $160,520 | $77.17/hr | Top earners |
Local pay
Explore California metro & local pay
Statewide pay hides big local gaps. Pick a metro to open its own mini salary report — median, typical range, top earners, and how it stacks up against California and the U.S.
Explore local pay across California
Pick a metro to open a local pay report — 25 BLS-measured markets.
25 markets
Median
$97,050
Typical range
$75.8K–$125.9K
Top earners
$160.5K+
vs. national
+16.0%
Across California, the typical accountant earns $97,050 — +16.0% above the U.S. benchmark. Metros usually pay above this line; pick one of the 25 markets above to see how far.
Cost of living
What California pay is worth
A higher headline median isn't automatically a better deal. Restating California's verified median in national-average price terms — using the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities (2024) — shows how far that pay actually stretches.
Nominal
$97.1K
Price level
110.7/100
Real pay
$87.7K
Local prices run 11% above the national average, so some of that pay is absorbed by higher local costs — California slips 9 places once adjusted for buying power.
Real pay · BEA-adjustedReal pay is a like-for-like buying-power comparison of gross wages, not take-home pay. It does not model federal or state taxes, housing choices, commuting, or benefits — no-income-tax states, for instance, can stretch a paycheck further than this adjustment alone shows.
Compare
California vs other states
Weighing an offer in two states? Compare the headline median and — the part that actually decides it — pay after local cost of living.
Comparison
California vs. national
How this state's accountant wages stack up against the U.S. benchmark — and where licensed CPAs sit above the broad-occupation median.
California — all accountants
verified state measurement
$97,050
+16.0%California — licensed CPA
modeled ~12% license premium · estimate
$108,700
+29.9%National — all accountants
verified benchmark
$83,680
base
California runs +16.0% vs the national median. Both accountant medians are direct BLS measurements; the CPA-license figure is a modeled estimate on top of the state median.
Metros
Biggest metros in California
Major metro areas typically pay above the statewide median. Each metro is a direct BLS wage measurement.
| Metro area | Median | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $121,700 | $196,890 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $110,730 | $180,060 |
| Napa | $99,640 | $151,890 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $96,340 | $157,720 |
| Vallejo | $95,800 | $143,470 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | $94,690 | $151,790 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $94,360 | $154,630 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $92,110 | $131,840 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | $91,610 | $154,470 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | $90,340 | $141,090 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | $88,160 | $133,180 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | $84,920 | $135,540 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $83,920 | $135,140 |
| Salinas | $83,810 | $142,030 |
| Stockton-Lodi | $83,570 | $137,590 |
| Modesto | $83,560 | $134,750 |
| Merced | $80,420 | $130,930 |
| Bakersfield-Delano | $79,620 | $133,810 |
| Visalia | $79,400 | $127,070 |
| Redding | $78,990 | $127,830 |
| Fresno | $78,690 | $128,600 |
| Yuba City | $78,530 | $131,260 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | $78,300 | $128,840 |
| Chico | $77,680 | $126,280 |
| El Centro | $76,280 | $126,290 |
Direct BLS wage measurements for each metro. Larger, higher-cost metros typically pay above the statewide median.
By role
CPA roles in California
Median estimates by role, scaled to this state's wage level.
Median pay by role
In California, estimated pay runs from $137,800 (Accounting Manager) to $378,500 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $378,500 | ||
| Partner | $349,400 | ||
| Director of Finance | $237,800 | ||
| Senior Manager | $199,000 | ||
| Controller | $189,200 | ||
| Tax Manager | $150,400 | ||
| Audit Manager | $150,400 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $137,800 | ||
| Audit Senior | $106,800 | ||
| Tax Senior | $104,800 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $99,000 | ||
| Audit Associate | $80,600 | ||
| Tax Associate | $79,600 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $75,700 |
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 California
The state median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $83,500 | $93,500 |
| 2–4 years | $93,200 | $104,400 |
| 5–7 years | $104,800 | $117,400 |
| 8–12 years | $116,500 | $130,500 |
| 13–20 years | $128,100 | $143,500 |
| 20+ years | $137,800 | $154,300 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in California
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at a manager-level base on the state median. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $168,500 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $157,900 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $147,400 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $138,400 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $156,400 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What affects CPA pay in California
California runs +16.0% vs the national median — these factors move pay within the state.
California market
California is the largest state economy in the country and a major center for technology, entertainment, and finance employers. Pay is pulled up sharply in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, where the cost of labor — and living — runs well above the statewide figure, while inland metros sit closer to the national level.
Local market & cost of living
Pay tracks the local cost of labor — California's metros typically pay above the statewide median, smaller markets below it.
Employer mix
Big 4 and national firms pay a brand premium; regional/local firms, government, and nonprofits trail 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
California 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.
Compare
How California compares
California ranks #6 of 51 states + DC by BLS-measured median. Jump to another state to compare.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a CPA make in California?
- The median wage for accountants and auditors in California is approximately $97,050 per year — +16.0% vs the national median of $83,680. CPAs typically earn above this. (This is the BLS-measured wage for accountants and auditors in California; BLS does not publish a CPA-specific figure, so the CPA premium is an estimate.)
- Is California a good state for CPAs?
- California pay runs above the national average for accountants. Factor in cost of living, the mix of public-accounting firms and industry employers, and remote opportunities when comparing.
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 California salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. It takes two minutes and stays anonymous.