How much does an Accountant make in Vermont?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $76,990 for Accountants in Vermont as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $63,510 and the 75th-percentile is $97,100.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $121,360. 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 $97,100.

Why is the BEA RPP for Vermont different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Vermont's overall index of 97.1 reflects rents 82.3, services 122.1, and goods 97.9.

How wide is the wage spread in Vermont?

P10 to P90 spans $56,460 to $121,360. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is Vermont a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Accountants?

No — Vermont's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

What are the limits of these Accountant salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Is busy season ($35K of overtime) included in Vermont accountant BLS figures?

Yes — BLS OES uses annualized W-2 earnings, so January-April busy-season overtime is rolled into the median. The high P90 in public-accounting-heavy Vermont markets reflects busy-season hours plus year-end bonuses. Industry accountants typically have flatter hours and a lower P90 ceiling but more predictable totals.

Accountant Pay in Vermont: $77K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

Vermont pays Accountants a BLS median of $76,990 — the more useful number is $79,255, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Bottom quartile $63,510, top quartile $97,100. The P90 ($121,360) is roughly 2.1× the P10 ($56,460).
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #39 of 51; nominal rank is #33.

Wage breakdown — Vermont

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$56,460	$58,121
P25 (lower quartile)	$63,510	$65,379
P50 (median)	$76,990	$79,255
P75 (upper quartile)	$97,100	$99,957
P90 (top tier)	$121,360	$124,931
Mean	$85,300	$87,810
Employment	2,770 Accountants in Vermont

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Vermont index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.1
Goods	97.9
Services	122.1
Rents	82.3

Vermont's overall RPP (97.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Accountant)	$76,990	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,185	10.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,036	3.35–8.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,890	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$59,879	77.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$61,641	÷ (97.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Vermont state-tax burden means for Accountant take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $59,879 (77.8% of gross). After the 97.1 RPP, real take-home is $61,641.

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. Vermont sits at #33 on nominal pay and #39 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Vermont falls 6 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Accountant make in Vermont?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $76,990 for Accountants in Vermont as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $63,510 and the 75th-percentile is $97,100.
What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in Vermont?: The 90th percentile lands at $121,360. 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 $97,100.
Why is the BEA RPP for Vermont different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Vermont's overall index of 97.1 reflects rents 82.3, services 122.1, and goods 97.9.
How wide is the wage spread in Vermont?: P10 to P90 spans $56,460 to $121,360. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Vermont a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Accountants?: No — Vermont's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
What are the limits of these Accountant salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Is busy season ($35K of overtime) included in Vermont accountant BLS figures?: Yes — BLS OES uses annualized W-2 earnings, so January-April busy-season overtime is rolled into the median. The high P90 in public-accounting-heavy Vermont markets reflects busy-season hours plus year-end bonuses. Industry accountants typically have flatter hours and a lower P90 ceiling but more predictable totals.

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 Vermont 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.