National median: $78K (range: 50K–120K). Salaries adjusted by state cost index. Ranked by cost-adjusted purchasing power. The difference between the best and worst state is $10,997/year in real purchasing power.
Accountants have the ironic advantage of understanding exactly how state taxes affect their own take-home. With a $50K–$120K salary range, the state tax impact is significant but not as dramatic as for higher-earning professions.
The highest-paying state for accountants is Hawaii with an estimated salary of $150K and take-home of $103,026. But the best purchasing power goes to Texas \u2014 where a $73K salary, after taxes and cost adjustment, buys what $64,656 would buy nationally.
Regional averages show where accountants earn the most and where their money goes furthest:
| # | State | Est. Salary | Tax Rate | Take-Home | Monthly | Eff. Rate | Cost-Adj. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | $73K | 0% | $60,131 | $5,011 | 17.6% | $64,656 |
| 2 | South Dakota | $72K | 0% | $59,427 | $4,952 | 17.5% | $64,595 |
| 3 | Tennessee | $70K | 0% | $58,020 | $4,835 | 17.1% | $64,467 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $73K | 0% | $60,131 | $5,011 | 17.6% | $63,969 |
| 5 | Nevada | $79K | 0% | $64,352 | $5,363 | 18.5% | $63,714 |
| 6 | Florida | $78K | 0% | $63,648 | $5,304 | 18.4% | $63,648 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $72K | 2.5% | $58,257 | $4,855 | 19.1% | $63,323 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $65K | 4.82% | $52,371 | $4,364 | 19.4% | $63,098 |
| 9 | Arkansas | $67K | 3.9% | $54,211 | $4,518 | 19.1% | $63,036 |
| 10 | Washington | $86K | 0% | $69,276 | $5,773 | 19.4% | $62,978 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $84K | 0% | $67,869 | $5,656 | 19.2% | $62,842 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | $68K | 4.5% | $54,624 | $4,552 | 19.7% | $62,786 |
| 13 | Alabama | $69K | 5% | $55,074 | $4,590 | 20.2% | $62,584 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $65K | 4% | $51,808 | $4,317 | 20.3% | $62,419 |
| 15 | Ohio | $70K | 2.75% | $56,095 | $4,675 | 19.9% | $62,328 |
| 16 | Nebraska | $71K | 4.55% | $56,624 | $4,719 | 20.2% | $62,224 |
| 17 | Arizona | $76K | 2.5% | $60,341 | $5,028 | 20.6% | $62,207 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $71K | 3% | $56,594 | $4,716 | 20.3% | $62,191 |
| 19 | Indiana | $70K | 2.95% | $55,955 | $4,663 | 20.1% | $62,172 |
| 20 | Alaska | $99K | 0% | $78,422 | $6,535 | 20.8% | $61,749 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $70K | 3.5% | $55,570 | $4,631 | 20.6% | $61,744 |
| 22 | Kansas | $70K | 5.58% | $55,481 | $4,623 | 20.7% | $61,646 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $72K | 6% | $56,619 | $4,718 | 21.4% | $61,542 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $71K | 5.9% | $56,001 | $4,667 | 21.1% | $61,539 |
| 25 | Iowa | $69K | 3.8% | $54,695 | $4,558 | 20.7% | $61,454 |
| 26 | Missouri | $69K | 4% | $54,557 | $4,546 | 20.9% | $61,299 |
| 27 | Montana | $76K | 5.65% | $59,450 | $4,954 | 21.8% | $61,289 |
| 28 | Michigan | $71K | 4.25% | $55,706 | $4,642 | 21.5% | $61,215 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $76K | 3.07% | $59,908 | $4,992 | 21.2% | $61,130 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $74K | 3.99% | $57,881 | $4,823 | 21.8% | $60,928 |
| 31 | Illinois | $73K | 4.95% | $56,517 | $4,710 | 22.6% | $60,771 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $73K | 7.65% | $56,501 | $4,708 | 22.6% | $60,753 |
| 33 | Georgia | $73K | 5.19% | $56,342 | $4,695 | 22.8% | $60,583 |
| 34 | Delaware | $80K | 6.6% | $61,623 | $5,135 | 23.0% | $60,415 |
| 35 | Virginia | $80K | 5.75% | $62,065 | $5,172 | 22.4% | $60,257 |
| 36 | Rhode Island | $82K | 5.99% | $63,269 | $5,272 | 22.8% | $60,257 |
| 37 | Utah | $77K | 4.45% | $59,518 | $4,960 | 22.7% | $60,119 |
| 38 | Idaho | $74K | 5.3% | $56,912 | $4,743 | 23.1% | $59,907 |
| 39 | Maine | $76K | 7.15% | $58,709 | $4,892 | 22.8% | $59,907 |
| 40 | Colorado | $82K | 4.4% | $62,854 | $5,238 | 23.3% | $59,861 |
| 41 | Maryland | $87K | 5.75% | $66,728 | $5,561 | 23.3% | $59,578 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $87K | 6.99% | $66,027 | $5,502 | 24.1% | $59,483 |
| 43 | Vermont | $82K | 8.75% | $61,798 | $5,150 | 24.6% | $58,855 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $77K | 9.85% | $58,015 | $4,835 | 24.7% | $58,601 |
| 45 | Massachusetts | $92K | 5% | $68,897 | $5,741 | 25.1% | $58,387 |
| 46 | Oregon | $86K | 9.9% | $63,742 | $5,312 | 25.9% | $57,947 |
| 47 | New Jersey | $90K | 10.75% | $65,801 | $5,483 | 26.9% | $57,218 |
| 48 | New York | $98K | 10.9% | $70,775 | $5,898 | 27.8% | $56,620 |
| 49 | California | $111K | 13.3% | $77,268 | $6,439 | 30.4% | $54,414 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $150K | 11% | $103,026 | $8,586 | 31.3% | $53,659 |