How much does an Accountant make in Wisconsin?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $78,150 for Accountants in Wisconsin as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $63,890 and the 75th-percentile is $99,450.

How are Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?

The 90th percentile lands at $126,180. 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 $99,450.

Why is the BEA RPP for Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's overall index of 93.2 reflects rents 78.3, services 89.5, and goods 94.3.

Where does Wisconsin rank for Accountant pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Wisconsin 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.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 93.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $78,150 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $83,834. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Accountants comparing offers across regions.

Does CPA licensure raise accountant pay in Wisconsin?

BLS aggregates accountants and auditors under SOC 13-2011 — CPA-licensed and non-CPA pay are not split. In practice, CPA-licensed accountants in Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin requires 150 semester hours of education to sit for the exam (the AICPA Uniform CPA standard).

Accountant Pay in Wisconsin: $78K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

$78,150 is the BLS median wage for Accountants in Wisconsin; $83,834 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
P25-P75 spread runs $63,890 to $99,450; P10 floor $56,360, P90 ceiling $126,180.
Low BEA RPP (93.2) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $5,684.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #19 of 51; nominal rank is #24.

Wage breakdown — Wisconsin

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$56,360	$60,459
P25 (lower quartile)	$63,890	$68,537
P50 (median)	$78,150	$83,834
P75 (upper quartile)	$99,450	$106,683
P90 (top tier)	$126,180	$135,357
Mean	$86,310	$92,587
Employment	25,060 Accountants in Wisconsin

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Wisconsin index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.2
Goods	94.3
Services	89.5
Rents	78.3

Wisconsin sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 78.3.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Accountant)	$78,150	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,440	10.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,054	3.5–7.65% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,978	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$60,677	77.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$65,091	÷ (93.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Wisconsin 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 $60,677 (77.6% of gross). After the 93.2 RPP, real take-home is $65,091.

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. Wisconsin sits at #24 on nominal pay and #19 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Wisconsin climbs 5 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Accountant make in Wisconsin?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $78,150 for Accountants in Wisconsin as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $63,890 and the 75th-percentile is $99,450.
How are Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?: The 90th percentile lands at $126,180. 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 $99,450.
Why is the BEA RPP for Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's overall index of 93.2 reflects rents 78.3, services 89.5, and goods 94.3.
Where does Wisconsin rank for Accountant pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Wisconsin 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.
Is Wisconsin a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Accountants?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 93.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $78,150 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $83,834. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Accountants comparing offers across regions.
Does CPA licensure raise accountant pay in Wisconsin?: BLS aggregates accountants and auditors under SOC 13-2011 — CPA-licensed and non-CPA pay are not split. In practice, CPA-licensed accountants in Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin requires 150 semester hours of education to sit for the exam (the AICPA Uniform CPA standard).

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 Wisconsin 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.