Pennsylvania · Salary guide
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA CPA Salary
CPA and accountant pay across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro — percentiles and role-by-role estimates vs the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro
$85,990
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$73.4K–$110.4K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$139.4K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
+2.8%
Pennsylvania · vs U.S. median
Verified BLS wage benchmark for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
+2.8%
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro vs the national median and +8.8% vs Pennsylvania statewide.
Pennsylvania guideLicensed CPA · modeled
$96,300
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the local median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$139.4K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this metro — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your payPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro
verified local median
$85,990
+2.8%Pennsylvania statewide
verified state median
$79,000
-5.6%National benchmark
verified
$83,680
base
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington runs +2.8% vs the national median and +8.8% vs Pennsylvania statewide. All three are direct BLS wage measurements for accountants and auditors at their own area level.
Cost of living
Real pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
What the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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
$86K
Price level
102.6/100
Real pay
$83.8K
Local prices run 3% above the national average, so some of that pay is absorbed by higher local costs — Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington slips 95 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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.
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · Accountants & auditors
Verified$41.34/hr median hourly · $96,100 average
Percentiles · Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $59,560 | $28.63/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $73,370 | $35.27/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $85,990 | $41.34/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $110,420 | $53.09/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $139,420 | $67.03/hr | Top earners |
By role
CPA roles in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Median estimates by role, scaled to the metro wage level.
Median pay by role
In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro, estimated pay runs from $122,100 (Accounting Manager) to $335,400 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $335,400 | ||
| Partner | $309,600 | ||
| Director of Finance | $210,700 | ||
| Senior Manager | $176,300 | ||
| Controller | $167,700 | ||
| Tax Manager | $133,300 | ||
| Audit Manager | $133,300 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $122,100 | ||
| Audit Senior | $94,600 | ||
| Tax Senior | $92,900 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $87,700 | ||
| Audit Associate | $71,400 | ||
| Tax Associate | $70,500 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $67,100 |
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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
The metro median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $74,000 | $82,900 |
| 2–4 years | $82,600 | $92,500 |
| 5–7 years | $92,900 | $104,000 |
| 8–12 years | $103,200 | $115,600 |
| 13–20 years | $113,500 | $127,100 |
| 20+ years | $122,100 | $136,800 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
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 | $149,300 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $139,900 | +0.9% |
| Regional firm | $130,600 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $122,600 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $138,600 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What drives CPA pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
The same factors move pay within a metro. Use the calculator to model your own.
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington market
The Philadelphia metro combines finance, pharmaceuticals, health systems, and professional services, supporting demand for accountants near or above the national median.
Cost of labor
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington?
- The median accountant/auditor wage in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro is about $85,990 (+2.8% vs national). Licensed CPAs generally earn above this baseline.
- Does Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington pay more than the rest of Pennsylvania?
- Large metros like Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. Anonymous and quick.