CFChooseField
Business and Finance

Accountants and Auditors

Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Install or advise on systems of recording costs or other financial and budgetary data.

Visual summary of pay, outlook, skills, interests, and preparation for Accountants and Auditors

Median pay

$81,680
Median annual pay for Accountants and Auditors.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024
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10-year growth

4.6%
Projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024–2034 projections
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Annual openings

124,200
Projected annual openings, including growth and replacement demand.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024–2034 projections
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Employment

1,579,800
Estimated U.S. employment for Accountants and Auditors in 2024.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024
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Jobs added or lost

+72,800
Projected numeric employment change from 2024 to 2034.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024–2034 projections
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Entry preparation

Bachelor's degree
Typical education needed to enter Accountants and Auditors.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024 profile
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O*NET occupation profile

What the work involves

Strongest O*NET signals first.

Essential skills

  1. 1Reading Comprehension
  2. 2Active Listening
  3. 3Critical Thinking
  4. 4Speaking
  5. 5Writing
  6. 6Monitoring

Knowledge areas

  1. 1Economics and Accounting
  2. 2English Language
  3. 3Mathematics
  4. 4Administration and Management
  5. 5Customer and Personal Service
  6. 6Law and Government

Abilities

  1. 1Oral Comprehension
  2. 2Oral Expression
  3. 3Written Comprehension
  4. 4Deductive Reasoning
  5. 5Inductive Reasoning
  6. 6Near Vision

Career interests

  1. 1Conventional
  2. 2Enterprising
  3. 3Investigative
  4. 4Social
  5. 5Realistic
  6. 6Artistic

Work styles

  1. 1Attention to Detail
  2. 2Integrity
  3. 3Dependability
  4. 4Cautiousness
  5. 5Intellectual Curiosity
  6. 6Achievement Orientation

Work activities

  1. 1Getting Information
  2. 2Working with Computers
  3. 3Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  4. 4Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
  5. 5Documenting/Recording Information
  6. 6Processing Information

Work context

  1. 1E-Mail
  2. 2Telephone Conversations
  3. 3Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
  4. 4Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
  5. 5Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  6. 6Contact With Others

Representative tasks

  • Prepare detailed reports on audit findings.
  • Report to management about asset utilization and audit results, and recommend changes in operations and financial activities.
  • Collect and analyze data to detect deficient controls, duplicated effort, extravagance, fraud, or non-compliance with laws, regulations, and management policies.
  • Inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency, effectiveness, and use of accepted accounting procedures to record transactions.
  • Supervise auditing of establishments, and determine scope of investigation required.
  • Confer with company officials about financial and regulatory matters.
  • Examine and evaluate financial and information systems, recommending controls to ensure system reliability and data integrity.
  • Inspect cash on hand, notes receivable and payable, negotiable securities, and canceled checks to confirm records are accurate.

Software and tools

Microsoft Office software · in demandIntuit QuickBooks · in demandMicrosoft PowerPoint · in demandMicrosoft Excel · in demandMicrosoft Outlook · in demandSAP software · in demandMicrosoft Visual Basic · hot technologyStructured query language SQL · hot technologyMicrosoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA · hot technologyMicrosoft Windows · hot technologyIBM SPSS Statistics · hot technologyMicrosoft Word · hot technology

Sources

BLS provides national pay, employment, and projections. O*NET provides skills, interests, preparation, tasks, work context, and tools.