Montana · Staff Accountant Salary
Staff Accountant Salary in Montana
What staff accountants earn in Montana — an estimated median and range built on the verified BLS OEWS May 2025 wage for accountants and auditors in the state.
Estimate · verified BLS Montana wage ($75,810) → staff accountant role multiplier · updated June 2026
How much does a Staff Accountant make in Montana?
Verified: the BLS OEWS May 2025 Montana wage for Accountants & Auditors (SOC 13-2011). The staff accountant figure is a modeled Estimate layered on it — BLS publishes no role-specific wage.
Staff Accountant · estimated median
$59,100
Modeled median for a staff accountant in Montana, scaled from the verified BLS state wage.
Model your payMontana · verified BLS median
$75,810
The measured OEWS May 2025 median for accountants & auditors in Montana — the base every estimate here is built on.
All Montana payState rank (verified)
#41 of 51
Where Montana 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 Montana — not for staff accountants, and not for CPAs. These percentiles are direct measurements.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,250 | $23.68/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $61,690 | $29.66/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $75,810 | $36.45/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $97,320 | $46.79/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $125,290 | $60.24/hr | Top earners |
The Montana figures above, straight from the OEWS May 2025 release: a $75,810 median across 4,730 accountants and auditors employed in Montana.
Every staff accountant figure on this page — $59,100 median included. It is the verified state median scaled by this role’s multiplier (0.78×), because BLS publishes no staff accountant-specific wage.
Comparison
Staff Accountant pay in Montana vs. national
Montana's measured accountant median runs -9.4% versus the U.S. figure. The role rows are estimates built on those two verified benchmarks.
Staff Accountant — Montana
estimated median
$59,100
-22.0%Staff Accountant — national
estimated median
$65,300
-13.9%All accountants — Montana
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$75,810
baseAll accountants — national
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$83,680
+10.4%
The staff accountant estimate sits -22.0% above the verified Montana accountant median and -9.5% versus the national staff accountant estimate. Verified rows are BLS measurements; role rows are modeled.
Montana market
What shapes staff accountant pay in Montana
Montana’s smaller economy rests on energy, agriculture, healthcare, and a growing tourism sector, with professional roles spread across Billings, Missoula, and Bozeman. Pay generally sits below the national median, with a cost of living that has risen in its fast-growing mountain towns.
Staff accountants handle reconciliations, journal entries, accruals, and close support — the foundation of every accounting function. It is the standard entry point to the profession and is largely a training seat.
Because the role is entry-level, local pay tracks the regional cost of hiring graduates fairly closely, and the spread between employers is narrower than at senior levels. Pay moves quickly in the first few years, especially for those who pass the CPA exam.
Role ladder
Staff Accountant vs. other roles in Montana
Each level's multiplier applied to Montana's verified BLS median. Estimates — the comparison is consistent because every row shares one measured base.
Estimated pay by role · Montana
On Montana's verified pay base, estimated pay spans $59,100 (Staff Accountant) to $147,800 (Controller). Staff Accountant sits at $59,100.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $147,800 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $107,700 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $77,300 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $59,100 |
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
Staff Accountant pay by experience in Montana
Montana's verified pay base scaled across experience bands at the staff accountant level. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $50,900 | $57,000 |
| 2–4 years | $56,800 | $63,600 |
| 5–7 years | $63,900 | $71,600 |
| 8–12 years | $71,000 | $79,500 |
| 13–20 years | $78,100 | $87,500 |
| 20+ years | $84,000 | $94,100 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
Staff Accountant pay by employer type in Montana
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 | $66,200 | +7.6% |
| National firm | $62,100 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $57,900 | -5.9% |
| Local firm | $54,400 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $61,500 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
By metro
Staff Accountant pay across Montana metros
BLS measures 5 metro areas for accountants and auditors in Montana. The measured median is verified; the staff accountant column applies this role's multiplier to it.
| Metro area | Accountants medianBLS verified | Staff Accountant medianEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| Bozeman | $77,400 | $60,400 |
| Helena | $76,700 | $59,800 |
| Billings | $75,780 | $59,100 |
| Missoula | $72,920 | $56,900 |
| Great Falls | $72,510 | $56,600 |
Metro medians are direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurements. The staff accountant column is modeled from them.
Peer markets
States that pay like Montana
Ranked immediately around Montana (#41 of 51) on the verified BLS accountant median — the closest comparables for a staff accountant weighing a move.
Compare states
Staff Accountant pay in other states
Where staff accountants are estimated to earn the most, built on each state's verified BLS median — Montana ranks #41 of 51.
Staff Accountant salary in Montana — FAQ
- How much does a Staff Accountant make in Montana?
- A staff accountant in Montana earns an estimated $59,100 per year, typically ranging from $48,100 to $75,900+. That is -9.5% versus the national staff accountant estimate of $65,300. The figure is a modeled estimate: BLS publishes no staff accountant-specific wage, so we scale the BLS OEWS May 2025 verified Montana median for accountants and auditors ($75,810) by this role's multiplier.
- What do BLS figures actually say about Montana?
- BLS measures the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011), not CPAs or staff accountants specifically. For Montana, the verified OEWS May 2025 median is $75,810, with a 25th–75th percentile band of $61,690–$97,320 and 4,730 accountants and auditors employed in Montana. Everything role-specific on this page is layered on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate.
- Is Montana a good state to work as a Staff Accountant?
- Montana ranks #41 of 51 on the verified BLS median for accountants and auditors, running -9.4% versus the national median. Staff 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 Staff Accountant in Montana earn more than the average accountant?
- Yes — the staff accountant estimate of $59,100 runs -22.0% versus the verified Montana median for all accountants and auditors ($75,810). 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 Montana metro pays staff accountants the most?
- On the verified BLS metro medians for accountants and auditors, Bozeman leads Montana at $77,400 — about +6.7% versus Great Falls ($72,510). Staff 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 Montana staff accountant salary
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