Accountants and Auditors Salary in California
Accountants and Auditors in California earn a median $97,050 a year, +16% against the national median of $83,680; they and rank 6th of 51 states by median. Accountants and Auditors earn 67% more than the median across all occupations in California ($58,240). California pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon, Nevada and Arizona range from $79,970 in Arizona to $85,800 in Oregon. California employs 175,360 accountants and auditors, 9.63 per 1,000 jobs, the 1st largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.03 is close to the national share.
California vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $29.70 | $36.45 | $46.66 | $60.51 | $77.17 | $49.89 | 175,360 | 9.63 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $61,770 | $75,810 | $97,050 | $125,850 | $160,520 | $103,760 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $26.93 | $32.22 | $40.23 | $52.80 | $69.27 | $45.56 | 1,449,500 | – | – |
| Annual | $56,020 | $67,020 | $83,680 | $109,810 | $144,090 | $94,750 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 6th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 1st of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 1.03
- Jobs per 1,000
- 9.63
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of California's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in California
25 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching California publish a row for accountants and auditors, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $58.51 | $121,700 | $78,440 | $196,890 | 13,180 | 11.62 | 1.25 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $53.24 | $110,730 | $73,420 | $180,060 | 25,170 | 10.60 | 1.14 |
| Napa, CA | $47.91 | $99,640 | $62,340 | $151,890 | 520 | 6.73 | 0.72 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $46.32 | $96,340 | $62,520 | $157,720 | 13,450 | 8.75 | 0.94 |
| Vallejo, CA | $46.06 | $95,800 | $60,400 | $143,470 | 690 | 4.77 | 0.51 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $45.53 | $94,690 | $62,180 | $151,790 | 1,740 | 8.49 | 0.91 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $45.36 | $94,360 | $60,310 | $154,630 | 70,640 | 11.26 | 1.21 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $44.29 | $92,110 | $61,350 | $131,840 | 13,170 | 12.19 | 1.31 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $44.04 | $91,610 | $60,740 | $154,470 | 1,510 | 7.50 | 0.80 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $43.44 | $90,340 | $59,500 | $141,090 | 2,530 | 7.82 | 0.84 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $42.39 | $88,160 | $59,940 | $133,180 | 860 | 7.04 | 0.76 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $40.83 | $84,920 | $55,650 | $135,540 | 740 | 7.53 | 0.81 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $40.34 | $83,920 | $57,260 | $135,140 | 9,240 | 5.38 | 0.58 |
| Salinas, CA | $40.29 | $83,810 | $59,410 | $142,030 | 1,050 | 5.63 | 0.60 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $40.18 | $83,570 | $59,080 | $137,590 | 1,420 | 4.91 | 0.53 |
| Modesto, CA | $40.17 | $83,560 | $60,620 | $134,750 | 1,200 | 6.13 | 0.66 |
| Merced, CA | $38.66 | $80,420 | $53,800 | $130,930 | 360 | 4.58 | 0.49 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $38.28 | $79,620 | $55,090 | $133,810 | 1,870 | 5.52 | 0.59 |
| Visalia, CA | $38.17 | $79,400 | $52,480 | $127,070 | 870 | 5.11 | 0.55 |
| Redding, CA | $37.98 | $78,990 | $56,620 | $127,830 | 490 | 6.87 | 0.74 |
| Fresno, CA | $37.83 | $78,690 | $56,700 | $128,600 | 2,810 | 5.89 | 0.63 |
| Yuba City, CA | $37.76 | $78,530 | $54,420 | $131,260 | 280 | 5.57 | 0.60 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $37.65 | $78,300 | $54,330 | $128,840 | 210 | 4.22 | 0.45 |
| Chico, CA | $37.35 | $77,680 | $55,940 | $126,280 | 420 | 5.43 | 0.58 |
| El Centro, CA | $36.67 | $76,280 | $51,990 | $126,290 | 300 | 4.62 | 0.50 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $39.49 | $82,140 | $54,780 | $132,850 | 720 | 6.85 | 0.74 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $37.40 | $77,790 | $48,760 | $122,830 | 390 | 6.15 | 0.66 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $36.00 | $74,880 | $43,580 | $120,660 | 750 | 6.80 | 0.73 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Accountants and Auditors (every state ranked) and the California wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS California estimates.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.