Business

What Can You Do With an Accounting Degree?

Master the language of business: financial records, taxes, and auditing. Graduates earn a median $68,000 early in their careers and $97,000 by mid-career. We track 8 careers that an Accounting degree commonly leads to, with median pay from $78,740 to $166,570 depending on the role and how far you take it.

How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 8 careers an Accounting degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.

Careers this major leads to

Financial Manager$166,570 median · Much faster than average Personal Financial Advisor$105,070 median · Much faster than average Financial Analyst$102,740 median · Faster than average Financial Examiner$94,160 median · Much faster than average Budget Analyst$91,640 median · Slower than average Accountant$83,680 median · Faster than average Credit Analyst$83,510 median · Declining Cost Estimator$78,740 median · Declining

Frequently asked questions

What can you do with an Accounting degree?

An Accounting degree commonly leads to 8 careers we track, including Financial Manager, Personal Financial Advisor, and Financial Analyst. Graduates earn a median $68,000 early in their careers.

How much do Accounting majors make?

Graduates with an Accounting degree earn a median of $68,000 a year early in their careers, and $97,000 by mid-career (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2024 data).

What jobs can an Accounting major get?

Common roles include Financial Manager, Personal Financial Advisor, Financial Analyst, and Financial Examiner. Financial Manager is among the higher-paying, at $166,570 median.

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Where these pay figures come from

Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).

All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.

Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).