Tennessee · Salary guide
Chattanooga, TN CPA Salary
CPA and accountant pay across the Chattanooga metro — percentiles and role-by-role estimates vs the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · Chattanooga metro
$76,680
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$62.2K–$97.9K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$125.1K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
-8.4%
Tennessee · vs U.S. median
Verified BLS wage benchmark for the Chattanooga metro · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in Chattanooga?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in the Chattanooga metro. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
-8.4%
The Chattanooga metro vs the national median and -0.2% vs Tennessee statewide.
Tennessee guideLicensed CPA · modeled
$85,900
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the local median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$125.1K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this metro — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your payChattanooga metro
verified local median
$76,680
-8.4%Tennessee statewide
verified state median
$76,840
-8.2%National benchmark
verified
$83,680
base
Chattanooga runs -8.4% vs the national median and -0.2% vs Tennessee statewide. All three are direct BLS wage measurements for accountants and auditors at their own area level.
Cost of living
Real pay in Chattanooga
What the Chattanooga 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
$76.7K
Price level
91.5/100
Real pay
$83.8K
Local prices run 9% below the national average, so pay here stretches further than the headline suggests — Chattanooga rises 68 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 Chattanooga 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.
Chattanooga metro · Accountants & auditors
Verified$36.87/hr median hourly · $83,350 average
Percentiles · Chattanooga
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,220 | $24.14/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $62,220 | $29.91/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $76,680 | $36.87/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $97,890 | $47.06/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $125,050 | $60.12/hr | Top earners |
By role
CPA roles in Chattanooga
Median estimates by role, scaled to the metro wage level.
Median pay by role
In the Chattanooga metro, estimated pay runs from $108,900 (Accounting Manager) to $299,100 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $299,100 | ||
| Partner | $276,000 | ||
| Director of Finance | $187,900 | ||
| Senior Manager | $157,200 | ||
| Controller | $149,500 | ||
| Tax Manager | $118,900 | ||
| Audit Manager | $118,900 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $108,900 | ||
| Audit Senior | $84,300 | ||
| Tax Senior | $82,800 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $78,200 | ||
| Audit Associate | $63,600 | ||
| Tax Associate | $62,900 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $59,800 |
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 Chattanooga
The metro median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $65,900 | $73,800 |
| 2–4 years | $73,600 | $82,400 |
| 5–7 years | $82,800 | $92,700 |
| 8–12 years | $92,000 | $103,000 |
| 13–20 years | $101,200 | $113,300 |
| 20+ years | $108,900 | $122,000 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in Chattanooga
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 | $133,100 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $124,800 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $116,500 | -5.7% |
| Local firm | $109,300 | -11.6% |
| Industry / corporate | $123,600 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What drives CPA pay in Chattanooga
The same factors move pay within a metro. Use the calculator to model your own.
Chattanooga market
The Chattanooga metro’s measured accountant pay sits well below the national median, at -8.4%. Within the state it runs essentially level with the Tennessee median (-0.2%) — it is one of the more representative markets in Tennessee, closely tracking the statewide figure. 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
Chattanooga 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
Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga?
- The median accountant/auditor wage in the Chattanooga metro is about $76,680 (-8.4% vs national). Licensed CPAs generally earn above this baseline.
- Does Chattanooga pay more than the rest of Tennessee?
- Large metros like Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. Anonymous and quick.