Pennsylvania · Senior Accountant Salary
Senior Accountant Salary in Pennsylvania
What senior accountants earn in Pennsylvania — an estimated median and range built on the verified BLS OEWS May 2025 wage for accountants and auditors in the state.
Estimate · verified BLS Pennsylvania wage ($79,000) → senior accountant role multiplier · updated June 2026
How much does a Senior Accountant make in Pennsylvania?
Verified: the BLS OEWS May 2025 Pennsylvania wage for Accountants & Auditors (SOC 13-2011). The senior accountant figure is a modeled Estimate layered on it — BLS publishes no role-specific wage.
Senior Accountant · estimated median
$80,600
Modeled median for a senior accountant in Pennsylvania, scaled from the verified BLS state wage.
Model your payPennsylvania · verified BLS median
$79,000
The measured OEWS May 2025 median for accountants & auditors in Pennsylvania — the base every estimate here is built on.
All Pennsylvania payState rank (verified)
#29 of 51
Where Pennsylvania ranks on the BLS-measured median for accountants & auditors.
Compare statesVerified baseline
The BLS measurement behind this page
BLS OEWS May 2025 reports wages for the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011) in Pennsylvania — not for senior accountants, and not for CPAs. These percentiles are direct measurements.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,680 | $24.37/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $62,330 | $29.97/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $79,000 | $37.98/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $99,990 | $48.07/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $130,270 | $62.63/hr | Top earners |
The Pennsylvania figures above, straight from the OEWS May 2025 release: a $79,000 median across 54,290 accountants and auditors employed in Pennsylvania.
Every senior accountant figure on this page — $80,600 median included. It is the verified state median scaled by this role’s multiplier (1.02×), because BLS publishes no senior accountant-specific wage.
Comparison
Senior Accountant pay in Pennsylvania vs. national
Pennsylvania's measured accountant median runs -5.6% versus the U.S. figure. The role rows are estimates built on those two verified benchmarks.
Senior Accountant — Pennsylvania
estimated median
$80,600
+2.0%Senior Accountant — national
estimated median
$85,400
+8.1%All accountants — Pennsylvania
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$79,000
baseAll accountants — national
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$83,680
+5.9%
The senior accountant estimate sits +2.0% above the verified Pennsylvania accountant median and -5.6% versus the national senior accountant estimate. Verified rows are BLS measurements; role rows are modeled.
Pennsylvania market
What shapes senior accountant pay in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania spans two distinct markets — the Philadelphia metro, with its finance, pharmaceutical, and professional-services base, and Pittsburgh, anchored by health systems and corporate headquarters. Pay is highest in those metros and closer to the national median elsewhere.
The senior accountant owns the close rather than supporting it — preparing financial statements, handling technical entries, and reviewing staff work. It is the first level where review responsibility genuinely matters.
Senior accountant is the pivot point of an accounting career: the track splits from here toward people leadership or toward specialization. Because the level exists at employers of every size, the local range is shaped heavily by the mix of large corporate employers versus small business in the market.
Role ladder
Senior Accountant vs. other roles in Pennsylvania
Each level's multiplier applied to Pennsylvania's verified BLS median. Estimates — the comparison is consistent because every row shares one measured base.
Estimated pay by role · Pennsylvania
On Pennsylvania's verified pay base, estimated pay spans $61,600 (Staff Accountant) to $154,100 (Controller). Senior Accountant sits at $80,600.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $154,100 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $112,200 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $80,600 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $61,600 |
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
Senior Accountant pay by experience in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's verified pay base scaled across experience bands at the senior accountant level. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $69,300 | $77,600 |
| 2–4 years | $77,400 | $86,700 |
| 5–7 years | $87,000 | $97,400 |
| 8–12 years | $96,700 | $108,300 |
| 13–20 years | $106,400 | $119,200 |
| 20+ years | $114,400 | $128,100 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
Senior Accountant pay by employer type in Pennsylvania
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at this role's level on the verified state pay base. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $90,200 | +7.6% |
| National firm | $84,600 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $79,000 | -5.7% |
| Local firm | $74,100 | -11.6% |
| Industry / corporate | $83,800 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
By metro
Senior Accountant pay across Pennsylvania metros
BLS measures 16 metro areas for accountants and auditors in Pennsylvania. The measured median is verified; the senior accountant column applies this role's multiplier to it.
| Metro area | Accountants medianBLS verified | Senior Accountant medianEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $85,990 | $87,700 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton | $78,430 | $80,000 |
| Pittsburgh | $76,940 | $78,500 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle | $76,510 | $78,000 |
| Lancaster | $76,110 | $77,600 |
| Reading | $75,550 | $77,100 |
| York-Hanover | $75,160 | $76,700 |
| Lebanon | $74,190 | $75,700 |
Metro medians are direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurements. The senior accountant column is modeled from them.
Peer markets
States that pay like Pennsylvania
Ranked immediately around Pennsylvania (#29 of 51) on the verified BLS accountant median — the closest comparables for a senior accountant weighing a move.
Compare states
Senior Accountant pay in other states
Where senior accountants are estimated to earn the most, built on each state's verified BLS median — Pennsylvania ranks #29 of 51.
Senior Accountant salary in Pennsylvania — FAQ
- How much does a Senior Accountant make in Pennsylvania?
- A senior accountant in Pennsylvania earns an estimated $80,600 per year, typically ranging from $63,600 to $102,000+. That is -5.6% versus the national senior accountant estimate of $85,400. The figure is a modeled estimate: BLS publishes no senior accountant-specific wage, so we scale the BLS OEWS May 2025 verified Pennsylvania median for accountants and auditors ($79,000) by this role's multiplier.
- What do BLS figures actually say about Pennsylvania?
- BLS measures the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011), not CPAs or senior accountants specifically. For Pennsylvania, the verified OEWS May 2025 median is $79,000, with a 25th–75th percentile band of $62,330–$99,990 and 54,290 accountants and auditors employed in Pennsylvania. Everything role-specific on this page is layered on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate.
- Is Pennsylvania a good state to work as a Senior Accountant?
- Pennsylvania ranks #29 of 51 on the verified BLS median for accountants and auditors, running -5.6% versus the national median. Senior accountants are estimated to track that same gap. Weigh it against cost of living, the local mix of firms and industry employers, and remote roles that may pay to a national band.
- Does a Senior Accountant in Pennsylvania earn more than the average accountant?
- Yes — the senior accountant estimate of $80,600 runs +2.0% versus the verified Pennsylvania median for all accountants and auditors ($79,000). That gap is the modeled role premium, not a measured one: BLS reports one wage for the whole occupation, and senior and specialized roles sit above that broad-occupation midpoint.
- Which Pennsylvania metro pays senior accountants the most?
- On the verified BLS metro medians for accountants and auditors, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington leads Pennsylvania at $85,990 — about +15.9% versus Lebanon ($74,190). Senior Accountant pay is estimated to follow the same metro ordering, since the role multiplier applies on top of each metro's measured base.
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 Pennsylvania senior accountant salary
Verified local submissions are how the modeled role premium becomes measured data. Anonymous, two minutes.