Accounting and bookkeeping statistics are easy to find and hard to trust, since most roundups rely on vendor surveys with small samples. This page uses primary sources instead: the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for the workforce, and the AICPA's Trends report for the accountant pipeline.
Every figure below links to its source, with the data year noted. Where a number could not be traced to a primary report, it is left out.
Key Accounting and Bookkeeping Statistics at a Glance
- The U.S. employs about 1.60 million accountants and auditors, at a median wage of $83,680 (BLS, May 2025).
- It also employs about 1.53 million bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, at a median wage of $50,670 (BLS, May 2025).
- Bookkeeping clerk jobs are projected to decline 6% from 2025 to 2035, a loss of about 85,600 jobs (BLS).
- Accountant and auditor jobs are projected to grow 5% over the same period, faster than average (BLS).
- U.S. schools awarded 55,152 accounting degrees in 2023 to 2024, down 6.6%, though the rate of decline has slowed (AICPA Trends, via Journal of Accountancy).
- Accounting program enrollment rebounded 12.4% in spring 2025, the highest since 2020 (AICPA Trends, via Journal of Accountancy).
- New CPA Exam candidates fell from 42,626 in 2023 to 28,082 in 2024 (AICPA Trends, via Journal of Accountancy).
- 75% of responding public accounting firms expected to hire at least as many new graduates in 2025 as in 2024 (AICPA Trends, via Journal of Accountancy).
The Accounting and Bookkeeping Workforce
Two occupations do most of the country's accounting work, and the BLS tracks them separately. Accountants and auditors prepare and examine financial records and typically need a bachelor's degree. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks record day-to-day transactions and usually enter the field with less formal education.
The pay gap between them is wide. The median wage for accountants and auditors was $83,680 in May 2025, against $50,670 for bookkeeping clerks, per the BLS.
| Occupation | Jobs (2025) | Median annual wage (May 2025) | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accountants and auditors | 1,595,200 | $83,680 | Bachelor's degree |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks | 1,532,400 | $50,670 | Some college, no degree |
A Shrinking Clerical Role, a Growing Professional One
The two occupations are heading in opposite directions, and that split is the clearest trend in the data. The BLS projects bookkeeping clerk employment to decline 6% from 2025 to 2035, a loss of about 85,600 jobs, while accountant and auditor employment grows 5%, a gain of about 79,400 jobs.
The reason is automation. Routine data entry, categorization, and reconciliation are increasingly handled by accounting software, which reduces the need for manual clerical work. Even so, the BLS still projects about 144,100 bookkeeping clerk openings a year, all of them to replace workers who move to other jobs or retire.
The BLS ties accountant and auditor growth to the health of the overall economy, as new businesses form and existing ones expand. As software absorbs routine data entry, the work that remains may also lean more toward interpreting the numbers, advising, and ensuring compliance than toward manual recording.
| Occupation | Projected change, 2025 to 2035 | Average annual openings |
|---|---|---|
| Accountants and auditors | +5% (+79,400) | About 115,300 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks | -6% (-85,600) | About 144,100 |
The Accountant and CPA Pipeline
Even as accounting roles grow, fewer people are entering the profession. According to the AICPA's 2025 Trends report (via the Journal of Accountancy), U.S. schools awarded 55,152 accounting bachelor's and master's degrees in 2023 to 2024, a 6.6% drop. The decline was smaller than the prior year's 9.6%, so the slide is slowing.
There are early signs of a turn, though they are not yet confirmed in graduate numbers. Accounting program enrollment rose 12.4% in spring 2025 to its highest level since 2020, which could lift graduate output in future years because enrollment leads graduation.
The CPA licensing pipeline remains thin. New candidates entering the CPA Exam fell from 42,626 in 2023 to 28,082 in 2024, with the 2023 figure inflated by test-takers rushing ahead of a major exam change.
Hiring intentions, by contrast, held up. Among public accounting firms that responded to the Trends report, 75% expected to hire at least as many new graduates in 2025 as they did in 2024.
Payroll and Bookkeeping Services Businesses
Bookkeeping is also a sizable services sector of its own, separate from tax preparers and CPA firms. Industry research firm IBISWorld counts about 331,000 payroll and bookkeeping services businesses operating in the United States in 2026, a count that has grown modestly year over year.
For the broader small-business base these firms serve, see FinStackk's companion research page, Small Business Statistics (https://www.finstackk.com/research/small-business-statistics).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accountants and bookkeepers are there in the U.S.?
The BLS counts about 1.60 million accountants and auditors and about 1.53 million bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks as of 2025. The two occupations together employ more than 3 million people.
What is the median pay for accountants and bookkeepers?
The median annual wage was $83,680 for accountants and auditors and $50,670 for bookkeeping clerks in May 2025, according to the BLS.
Is bookkeeping a declining career?
Employment of bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks is projected to decline 6% from 2025 to 2035 as software automates routine tasks, per the BLS. The field still projects about 144,100 openings a year to replace workers who leave.
Are fewer people entering accounting?
Accounting degree output has declined in recent years, reaching 55,152 degrees in 2023 to 2024 (down 6.6%), per the AICPA Trends report, via the Journal of Accountancy. The rate of decline has slowed, and enrollment has recently rebounded, which may lift graduate numbers over time.
What is the difference between an accountant and a bookkeeper?
Bookkeepers record and classify day-to-day transactions, while accountants and auditors analyze, interpret, and verify those records and typically hold a bachelor's degree. The wage and outlook data reflect that difference in skill and responsibility.
Sources and Methodology
This page uses primary U.S. labor data and the accounting profession's own pipeline research. Vendor surveys with small or undisclosed samples are excluded. Data years are labeled because wage and projection figures are revised on a regular cycle.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Accountants and Auditors. Employment, wages, and 2025 to 2035 projections.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks. Employment, wages, and 2025 to 2035 projections.
- AICPA 2025 Trends report (as reported by the Journal of Accountancy). Accounting degrees, enrollment, CPA Exam candidates, and firm hiring plans.
- IBISWorld: Payroll and Bookkeeping Services in the U.S.. Number of businesses (industry-research estimate).
Methodology note: BLS wage figures are May 2025 medians and employment projections run from 2025 to 2035. AICPA Trends figures come from a survey of accounting programs and firms, so firm-hiring percentages reflect responding firms rather than the whole profession. The IBISWorld business count is an industry-research estimate, not a government census.
How FinStackk Helps
The workforce data has a practical implication for small businesses: routine bookkeeping roles are projected to shrink while accountant and auditor roles grow, which can make in-house hiring harder to plan. Software plus expert support is a common way businesses keep their books accurate without building a full in-house team.
FinStackk is an accounting and tax compliance platform built for U.S. businesses:
- Fin-Books for ongoing bookkeeping that keeps financial records clean and current.
- Fin-Sights for financial dashboards that turn those records into decisions.
Update History
- October 2026: Initial publication. Figures reflect the BLS May 2025 wage data and 2025 to 2035 employment projections, the AICPA 2025 Trends report, and 2026 IBISWorld industry data.