North Carolina · Salary guide
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC CPA Salary
CPA and accountant pay across the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro — percentiles and role-by-role estimates vs the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro
$77,490
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$60.1K–$102.2K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$134.3K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
-7.4%
North Carolina · vs U.S. median
Verified BLS wage benchmark for the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
-7.4%
The Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro vs the national median and -5.6% vs North Carolina statewide.
North Carolina guideLicensed CPA · modeled
$86,800
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the local median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$134.3K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this metro — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your payHickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro
verified local median
$77,490
-7.4%North Carolina statewide
verified state median
$82,050
-1.9%National benchmark
verified
$83,680
base
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton runs -7.4% vs the national median and -5.6% vs North Carolina statewide. All three are direct BLS wage measurements for accountants and auditors at their own area level.
Cost of living
Real pay in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
What the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 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
$77.5K
Price level
88.5/100
Real pay
$87.6K
Local prices run 12% below the national average, so pay here stretches further than the headline suggests — Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton rises 127 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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 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.
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro · Accountants & auditors
Verified$37.25/hr median hourly · $87,200 average
Percentiles · Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,990 | $24.03/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $60,110 | $28.90/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $77,490 | $37.25/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $102,170 | $49.12/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $134,290 | $64.56/hr | Top earners |
By role
CPA roles in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
Median estimates by role, scaled to the metro wage level.
Median pay by role
In the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro, estimated pay runs from $110,000 (Accounting Manager) to $302,200 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $302,200 | ||
| Partner | $279,000 | ||
| Director of Finance | $189,900 | ||
| Senior Manager | $158,900 | ||
| Controller | $151,100 | ||
| Tax Manager | $120,100 | ||
| Audit Manager | $120,100 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $110,000 | ||
| Audit Senior | $85,200 | ||
| Tax Senior | $83,700 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $79,000 | ||
| Audit Associate | $64,300 | ||
| Tax Associate | $63,500 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $60,400 |
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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
The metro median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $66,600 | $74,600 |
| 2–4 years | $74,400 | $83,300 |
| 5–7 years | $83,700 | $93,700 |
| 8–12 years | $93,000 | $104,200 |
| 13–20 years | $102,300 | $114,600 |
| 20+ years | $110,000 | $123,200 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
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 | $134,500 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $126,100 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $117,700 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $110,500 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $124,900 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What drives CPA pay in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
The same factors move pay within a metro. Use the calculator to model your own.
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton market
The Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro’s measured accountant pay sits well below the national median, at -7.4%. Within the state it runs modestly below the North Carolina median (-5.6%) — it sits below the North Carolina 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
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 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
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton?
- The median accountant/auditor wage in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro is about $77,490 (-7.4% vs national). Licensed CPAs generally earn above this baseline.
- Does Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton pay more than the rest of North Carolina?
- Large metros like Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. Anonymous and quick.