California · Salary guide
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA CPA Salary
CPA and accountant pay across the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metro — percentiles and role-by-role estimates vs the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metro
$92,110
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$74.6K–$109K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$131.8K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
+10.1%
California · vs U.S. median
Verified BLS wage benchmark for the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metro · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metro. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
+10.1%
The Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metro vs the national median and -5.1% vs California statewide.
California guideLicensed CPA · modeled
$103,200
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the local median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$131.8K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this metro — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your paySacramento-Roseville-Folsom metro
verified local median
$92,110
+10.1%California statewide
verified state median
$97,050
+16.0%National benchmark
verified
$83,680
base
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom runs +10.1% vs the national median and -5.1% vs California statewide. All three are direct BLS wage measurements for accountants and auditors at their own area level.
Cost of living
Real pay in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
What the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 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
$92.1K
Price level
106.7/100
Real pay
$86.3K
Local prices run 7% above the national average, so some of that pay is absorbed by higher local costs — Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom slips 40 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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 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.
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metro · Accountants & auditors
Verified$44.29/hr median hourly · $94,950 average
Percentiles · Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $61,350 | $29.50/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $74,550 | $35.84/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $92,110 | $44.29/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $108,950 | $52.38/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $131,840 | $63.38/hr | Top earners |
By role
CPA roles in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
Median estimates by role, scaled to the metro wage level.
Median pay by role
In the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metro, estimated pay runs from $130,800 (Accounting Manager) to $359,200 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $359,200 | ||
| Partner | $331,600 | ||
| Director of Finance | $225,700 | ||
| Senior Manager | $188,800 | ||
| Controller | $179,600 | ||
| Tax Manager | $142,800 | ||
| Audit Manager | $142,800 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $130,800 | ||
| Audit Senior | $101,300 | ||
| Tax Senior | $99,500 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $94,000 | ||
| Audit Associate | $76,500 | ||
| Tax Associate | $75,500 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $71,800 |
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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
The metro median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $79,200 | $88,700 |
| 2–4 years | $88,400 | $99,000 |
| 5–7 years | $99,500 | $111,400 |
| 8–12 years | $110,500 | $123,800 |
| 13–20 years | $121,600 | $136,200 |
| 20+ years | $130,800 | $146,500 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
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 | $159,900 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $149,900 | +0.9% |
| Regional firm | $139,900 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $131,300 | -11.6% |
| Industry / corporate | $148,500 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What drives CPA pay in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
The same factors move pay within a metro. Use the calculator to model your own.
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom market
Sacramento is California’s capital, and government, healthcare, and back-office operations anchor its economy. Pay runs above the national median but below the coastal California metros, with a comparatively lower cost of living.
Cost of labor
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 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
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
- The median accountant/auditor wage in the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metro is about $92,110 (+10.1% vs national). Licensed CPAs generally earn above this baseline.
- Does Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom pay more than the rest of California?
- Large metros like Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. Anonymous and quick.