Georgia · Salary guide
Athens-Clarke County, GA CPA Salary
CPA and accountant pay across the Athens-Clarke County metro — percentiles and role-by-role estimates vs the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · Athens-Clarke County metro
$75,900
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$59.5K–$101.4K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$133.4K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
-9.3%
Georgia · vs U.S. median
Verified BLS wage benchmark for the Athens-Clarke County metro · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in Athens-Clarke County?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in the Athens-Clarke County metro. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
-9.3%
The Athens-Clarke County metro vs the national median and -7.3% vs Georgia statewide.
Georgia guideLicensed CPA · modeled
$85,000
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the local median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$133.4K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this metro — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your payAthens-Clarke County metro
verified local median
$75,900
-9.3%Georgia statewide
verified state median
$81,900
-2.1%National benchmark
verified
$83,680
base
Athens-Clarke County runs -9.3% vs the national median and -7.3% vs Georgia statewide. All three are direct BLS wage measurements for accountants and auditors at their own area level.
Cost of living
Real pay in Athens-Clarke County
What the Athens-Clarke County 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
$75.9K
Price level
93.3/100
Real pay
$81.4K
Local prices run 7% below the national average, so pay here stretches further than the headline suggests — Athens-Clarke County rises 17 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 Athens-Clarke County 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.
Athens-Clarke County metro · Accountants & auditors
Verified$36.49/hr median hourly · $83,710 average
Percentiles · Athens-Clarke County
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,600 | $22.88/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $59,480 | $28.60/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $75,900 | $36.49/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $101,380 | $48.74/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $133,440 | $64.15/hr | Top earners |
By role
CPA roles in Athens-Clarke County
Median estimates by role, scaled to the metro wage level.
Median pay by role
In the Athens-Clarke County metro, estimated pay runs from $107,800 (Accounting Manager) to $296,000 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $296,000 | ||
| Partner | $273,200 | ||
| Director of Finance | $186,000 | ||
| Senior Manager | $155,600 | ||
| Controller | $148,000 | ||
| Tax Manager | $117,600 | ||
| Audit Manager | $117,600 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $107,800 | ||
| Audit Senior | $83,500 | ||
| Tax Senior | $82,000 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $77,400 | ||
| Audit Associate | $63,000 | ||
| Tax Associate | $62,200 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $59,200 |
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 Athens-Clarke County
The metro median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $65,300 | $73,100 |
| 2–4 years | $72,900 | $81,600 |
| 5–7 years | $82,000 | $91,800 |
| 8–12 years | $91,100 | $102,000 |
| 13–20 years | $100,200 | $112,200 |
| 20+ years | $107,800 | $120,700 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in Athens-Clarke County
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 | $131,800 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $123,500 | +0.9% |
| Regional firm | $115,300 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $108,200 | -11.6% |
| Industry / corporate | $122,400 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What drives CPA pay in Athens-Clarke County
The same factors move pay within a metro. Use the calculator to model your own.
Athens-Clarke County market
The Athens-Clarke County metro’s measured accountant pay sits well below the national median, at -9.3%. Within the state it runs well below the Georgia median (-7.3%) — it sits below the Georgia median, meaning the state’s higher-paying work is concentrated in other metros. 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
Athens-Clarke County 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
Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County?
- The median accountant/auditor wage in the Athens-Clarke County metro is about $75,900 (-9.3% vs national). Licensed CPAs generally earn above this baseline.
- Does Athens-Clarke County pay more than the rest of Georgia?
- Large metros like Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. Anonymous and quick.