Accounting Statistics 2026: Jobs, Pay, CPAs and AI
About 1.6 million accountants and auditors work in the US, earning a median $83,680, and the field is projected to grow 5% over the next decade. The supply side is shifting: accounting degrees fell 6.6% in the 2023 to 2024 school year, but enrollment is up 12.4%, new CPA exam candidates rose to 36,590 in 2025, and 44 states and territories have eased the 150-hour rule. Meanwhile 98% of firms say they use AI. Here are the accounting statistics worth knowing in 2026, each sourced inline with the year noted.
1.6 million accountants earn a median $83,680
Accountants and auditors held about 1.6 million US jobs in 2025 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026).
The median annual wage for accountants and auditors was $83,680 in May 2025 (BLS, 2026).
Employment is projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, adding 79,400 jobs, faster than the average for all occupations (BLS, 2026).
About 115,300 openings are projected each year, most of them to replace people who retire or change careers (BLS, 2026).
Graduates fell 6.6%, but enrollment is rising
US schools awarded 55,152 accounting bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, down 6.6% (AICPA Trends report, via the Journal of Accountancy, 2025). The decline slowed from 9.6% the year before.
Enrollment in two- and four-year accounting programs rose 12.4% to 266,506 students in spring 2025, the highest since 2020 (AICPA, 2025).
Firms in the AICPA survey hired 11,985 new graduates in 2024, and 75% of them were accounting majors. 75% of firms expected to hire at least as many in 2025 (AICPA, 2025).
36,590 new CPA exam candidates in 2025
87,660 candidates sat for the CPA exam in 2025, including 36,590 new candidates, and 23,978 passed their final section (NASBA, 2026).
That compares with 74,165 candidates, 27,994 of them new, and 13,070 completing their final section in 2024 (NASBA, 2025).
Nebraska had the highest CPA exam pass rate in 2025 at 64.7%, followed by Utah at 62.4% and Kansas at 61.8% (NASBA, 2026).
44 states and territories have eased the 150-hour rule
44 states and territories, including Puerto Rico, have eased the education requirement for a CPA license since early 2025, mostly by letting a bachelor’s degree plus an extra year of experience replace the fifth year of school (CFO Dive, 2026).
Ohio was the first state to put the new pathway into law, in January 2025, and Rhode Island brought the count to 44. Michigan, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia were still considering it (CFO Dive, 2026).
98% of accounting firms use AI
98% of accounting firms now use AI, most of them daily or several times a day, in a survey of nearly 600 accounting professionals across six continents (Karbon, State of AI in Accounting 2026, 2026).
Only 21% of firms have an AI policy or strategy, and fewer than half invest in AI training (Karbon, 2026).
AI saves an average of 60 minutes per employee per day, about 21 hours a month, up 7% from a year earlier (Karbon, 2026).
91% of accounting professionals believe graduates are more likely to join firms that use AI (Karbon, 2026).
For the bigger debate, see will AI replace accountants?
The hours that don’t get billed
A lot of an accountant’s week goes to work nobody bills for: chasing clients for documents, booking calls, answering “did you get my email?” Carly is an AI assistant that works in your email and calendar. She follows up with clients for missing documents, books meetings without the back-and-forth, and drafts replies to routine questions, and she connects to thousands of apps, including practice management tools like Karbon and TaxDome.
For more, see the AI assistant for accountants and the best AI tools for accountants.
FAQ
How many accountants are there in the US? About 1.6 million accountants and auditors held US jobs in 2025 (BLS, 2026).
How much do accountants make? The median annual wage for accountants and auditors was $83,680 in May 2025 (BLS, 2026).
Is there an accountant shortage? The pipeline has been shrinking: accounting degrees fell 6.6% in 2023 to 2024. But enrollment rose 12.4% in spring 2025 (AICPA, 2025), and new CPA exam candidates rose to 36,590 in 2025 from 27,994 in 2024 (NASBA, 2026).
How many accounting firms use AI? 98%, in Karbon’s 2026 survey, though only 21% have an AI policy or strategy (Karbon, 2026).
Related: Small Business Statistics · Entrepreneur Statistics · Freelancer Statistics · AI Replacing Jobs Statistics · HR Statistics
Ready to automate your busywork?
Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.
See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
