How much does an Accountant make in New Jersey?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $101,340 for Accountants in New Jersey as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $79,640 and the 75th-percentile is $129,080.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Accountant salary in New Jersey?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 108.9 for New Jersey), the real-wage equivalent is $93,023 — what the $101,340 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $73,104 to $118,486.

How are New Jersey Accountant salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in New Jersey?

The 90th percentile lands at $166,230. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $129,080.

Where does New Jersey rank for Accountant pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, New Jersey ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

Does CPA licensure raise accountant pay in New Jersey?

BLS aggregates accountants and auditors under SOC 13-2011 — CPA-licensed and non-CPA pay are not split. In practice, CPA-licensed accountants in New Jersey typically earn 10-20% above the all-accountant median, and the gap widens at the senior/manager level where CPA is functionally required for partner-track public accounting and CFO roles. New Jersey requires 150 semester hours of education to sit for the exam (the AICPA Uniform CPA standard).

Public accounting vs industry vs government in New Jersey — which pays more?

Public accounting (Big 4 / regional firm audit + tax) typically pays 10-15% below industry corporate-accountant pay at the staff/senior level, then crosses over at manager and above as billable-hour leverage compounds. Government accountants in {state} (state DOR, federal IRS/GAO, municipal) usually trail both private paths on base pay but lead on pension and job security. Industry controller/CFO-track roles in {state} push toward the BLS P75-P90 band.

Accountant Pay in New Jersey: $101K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

Median Accountant salary in New Jersey: $101,340 nominal, $93,023 real (BEA RPP basis).
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
P25-P75 spread runs $79,640 to $129,080; P10 floor $65,670, P90 ceiling $166,230.
State ranks #3 nationally on nominal wage, #3 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — New Jersey

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$65,670	$60,280
P25 (lower quartile)	$79,640	$73,104
P50 (median)	$101,340	$93,023
P75 (upper quartile)	$129,080	$118,486
P90 (top tier)	$166,230	$152,587
Mean	$113,110	$103,827
Employment	43,540 Accountants in New Jersey

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New Jersey index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	108.9
Goods	105.8
Services	114.8
Rents	134.1

New Jersey is a high-cost state — RPP 108.9 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (134.1) and services (114.8).

After-tax take-home — New Jersey (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Accountant)	$101,340	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,542	13.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,329	1.4–10.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,753	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$75,717	74.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$69,502	÷ (108.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the New Jersey state-tax burden means for Accountant take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.3% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $75,717 (74.7% of gross). After the 108.9 RPP, real take-home is $69,502.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $81,680 for Accountants with mean pay of $93,520 and total employment of 1,448,290. New Jersey sits at #3 on nominal pay and #3 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Accountant make in New Jersey?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $101,340 for Accountants in New Jersey as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $79,640 and the 75th-percentile is $129,080.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Accountant salary in New Jersey?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 108.9 for New Jersey), the real-wage equivalent is $93,023 — what the $101,340 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $73,104 to $118,486.
How are New Jersey Accountant salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in New Jersey?: The 90th percentile lands at $166,230. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $129,080.
Where does New Jersey rank for Accountant pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, New Jersey ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Does CPA licensure raise accountant pay in New Jersey?: BLS aggregates accountants and auditors under SOC 13-2011 — CPA-licensed and non-CPA pay are not split. In practice, CPA-licensed accountants in New Jersey typically earn 10-20% above the all-accountant median, and the gap widens at the senior/manager level where CPA is functionally required for partner-track public accounting and CFO roles. New Jersey requires 150 semester hours of education to sit for the exam (the AICPA Uniform CPA standard).
Public accounting vs industry vs government in New Jersey — which pays more?: Public accounting (Big 4 / regional firm audit + tax) typically pays 10-15% below industry corporate-accountant pay at the staff/senior level, then crosses over at manager and above as billable-hour leverage compounds. Government accountants in {state} (state DOR, federal IRS/GAO, municipal) usually trail both private paths on base pay but lead on pension and job security. Industry controller/CFO-track roles in {state} push toward the BLS P75-P90 band.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how New Jersey Accountant pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.