The Hourly Salary of Accountants
Accountants work for corporations, hospitals and the government. Some accountants are certified public accountants or CPAs, which means they are licensed through their state boards. Accountants primarily ensure that their organizations operate efficiently by balancing the books. They prepare financial reports like income statements that track revenue, product costs, labor and overhead expenses and net income or profit. They also prepare taxes for their organizations. Accountants receive annual or hourly wages.
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Median Hourly Wages
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Accountants earned median hourly wages of $29.66 in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Median hourly wages are those found in the middle of salary lists, which vary somewhat from average salary figures. The middle half of all accountants earned median wages between $23.07 and $39.08 per hour. Those in the 90th percentile earned median hourly wages of $51.38. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also included auditor salaries in their data.
Average Hourly Wages by Industry
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Accountants' salaries vary significantly by industry. For example, they earned their highest average wages working for the federal government at $42.94 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They earned their second highest average wages in the securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage industry at $40.20 per hour. Accountants in the securities and commodities contracts intermediate industry keep track of earnings from stocks and commodity investments. Additionally, those in the "other financial investments" industry, who work with bonds and other investments, earned hourly wages of $39.38 per hour. And, those working for the postal service earned average hourly wages of $39.16.
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Average Hourly Wages by State
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Accountants' salaries vary widely by state. For example, they earned their highest average wages in New York at $40.98 per hour, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They earned their second highest hourly wages in the District of Columbia at $40.57 per hour. Additionally, those in New Jersey earned hourly rates of $38.28. They earned average hourly wages of $36.48 in Maryland. And, those in Massachusetts earned average wages of $36.07 per hour.
Average Hourly Wages by Metropolitan Area
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Accountants earned their highest hourly wages in the New York-White Plains-Wayne, New York-New Jersey metropolitan area at $42.90, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They earned their second highest hourly rates in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California area at $42.67. Moreover, those in the Nassau-Suffolk, New York area earned average wages of $41.83 per hour. In the Newark-Union, New Jersey-Pennsylvania metropolitan area their hourly wages were $40.67. Those in the San Francisco-Mateo-Redwood City, California area also earned average wages of $40.67 per hour. And, those in the Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, Massachusetts-New Hampshire area earned average wages of $39.63 per hour.
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