Accounting firms range from local tax and payroll practices to global professional-services networks. In the United States, the accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll-services sector included 137,069 employer establishments in 2023. The occupation also remains a large labor market: accountants and auditors held 1,579.8 thousand jobs in 2024, with 124.2 thousand annual openings projected on average from 2024 through 2034.
Contents
- U.S. accounting establishment statistics
- Employment outlook for accountants and auditors
- Wages and industry pay
- How accounting work is structured
- The scale of global accounting networks
- PwC and Deloitte statistics
- EY and KPMG statistics
U.S. accounting establishment statistics
The Census Bureau’s 2023 profile lists 137,069 employer establishments in NAICS 54121, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services. This broad category includes several more specific groups. The same profile lists 47,699 employer establishments in NAICS 541219, other accounting services; 28,762 in NAICS 541213, tax preparation services; and 5,556 in NAICS 541214, payroll services.
For context, the wider professional, scientific, and technical services sector, NAICS 541, had 989,182 employer establishments in the 2023 Census profile. The accounting-related figures therefore describe a substantial specialized segment within a much larger services sector. These are establishment counts, not counts of individual owners, offices, or brands.
The establishment data can help small-business readers understand the structure of the market. Tax preparation, payroll, bookkeeping, and other accounting services appear as distinct classifications, even though one local firm may provide several of them. A firm’s service mix may therefore be broader than the single category used in an industry profile.
Employment outlook for accountants and auditors
The BLS occupational projections table reports 1,579.8 thousand U.S. accountants and auditors in 2024. It projects employment of 1,652.6 thousand in 2034, an addition of 72.8 thousand jobs over the 2024–2034 period. The projected growth rate is 4.6%.
The BLS table also projects 124.2 thousand annual openings for accountants and auditors on average from 2024 through 2034. Annual openings are a flow measure over the projection period, while the employment totals are point-in-time estimates for the beginning and end years. They should not be treated as the same measure.
Employment outlook at a glance
| Measure | Figure | Period or date |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | 1,579.8 thousand | 2024 |
| Projected employment | 1,652.6 thousand | 2034 |
| Projected job increase | 72.8 thousand | 2024–2034 |
| Projected growth | 4.6% | 2024–2034 |
| Average annual openings | 124.2 thousand | 2024–2034 |
| Self-employed share | 4.6% | 2024 |
Self-employed accountants and auditors represented 4.6% of the occupation in 2024, according to the BLS occupational projections table. That share is relevant to readers comparing employment with independent practice. It does not, by itself, identify how many self-employed people operated a firm, worked as contractors, or served clients in a particular specialty.
Wages and industry pay
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reports a median annual wage of $81,680 for accountants and auditors in May 2024. The lower end of the reported distribution was below $52,780 for the lowest 10%, while the highest 10% earned more than $141,420. These figures describe individual occupational pay, not accounting-firm revenue or profit.
Median pay varied by industry in May 2024. Accountants and auditors in finance and insurance had a median annual wage of $87,980. The median was $86,010 in management of companies and enterprises, $81,120 in government excluding state and local education and hospitals, and $80,510 in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services.
The industry figures provide a useful comparison for people evaluating an accounting career or considering the labor costs behind a firm. They are medians, so they do not describe every employee or determine what a client will pay for services. A firm’s pricing also depends on scope, specialization, geography, staffing, technology, and the type of engagement.
The accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll-services industry employed 347,320 accountants and auditors in May 2024, the highest employment level among the industries listed in the BLS OEWS industry charts for this occupation. Employment concentration and median wage are different measures: the industry with the most workers is not necessarily the industry with the highest median pay.
How accounting work is structured
The BLS Occupational Requirements Survey describes several features of accountant and auditor work in 2025. Telework was routinely allowed for 68.4% of accountants and auditors. Prior work experience was required for 70.7%, and on-the-job training was required for 74.1%.
The survey also reports that work was self-paced for 73.5% of accountants and auditors, while a variable work schedule applied to 34.9%. Work was controlled by people for 26.2%. These measures describe the prevalence of particular work arrangements or requirements; they do not rank firms or indicate that every position in a firm follows the same pattern.
More than 99.5% of accountants and auditors had the ability to pause work in 2025, according to the same BLS survey. Working around crowds was under 0.5%, and supervising others applied to 21.3%. In the 2024 BLS ORS factsheet, quiet noise exposure was present for 43.9%, low postures were required for 3.8%, and the choice to sit or stand while performing critical tasks was available to more than 99.5%.
Together, these statistics portray work that is commonly compatible with controlled office conditions and, for many positions, telework. They are occupation-level measurements rather than a guarantee about a particular local practice, tax season schedule, client-facing role, or workplace policy.
The scale of global accounting networks
Large professional-services networks show how different the global end of the market is from the local establishment counts above. The figures below are company-reported and use each organization’s fiscal-year terminology. They are not directly interchangeable with U.S. Census establishment counts or BLS occupational measures.
PwC reported global revenue of US$55.4 billion for FY24, with revenue growth of 3.7% in local currency and 4.3% in U.S. dollars. Its workforce grew to 370,393 people in 149 countries, across 656 cities, and it reported 180,125 clients across its global network. PwC said it served 86% of Fortune Global 500 companies, made US$3.6 billion of new investment around the world, and invested US$1.5 billion to expand and scale AI capabilities in FY24. Alliance-partner wins grew 24.5% in FY24.
Deloitte reported aggregate global revenue of US$67.2 billion in FY2024 and a workforce of approximately 460,000 globally. Deloitte reported that Tax & Legal revenue grew 8.7% in local currency, Audit & Assurance revenue grew 4.1%, and its EMEA region grew 8.5%. Its Americas region grew 1.4%. Deloitte Audit & Assurance delivered across more than 180,000 engagements worldwide in FY2024.
PwC and Deloitte statistics
| Organization | Reported revenue | Reported workforce | Geographic reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| PwC | US$55.4 billion, FY24 | 370,393 | 149 countries; 656 cities |
| Deloitte | US$67.2 billion, FY2024 | Approximately 460,000 | More than 150 countries and territories |
| EY | US$51.2 billion, FY24 | 392,995 | Regional figures reported for Americas, EMEIA, and Asia-Pacific |
| KPMG | US$38.4 billion, FY24 | 275,288 | 143 countries and territories |
Deloitte’s facts and figures report says the network provided services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500. It also reported 93% renewable electricity purchased in FY2024, a fleet that was 50% electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, total greenhouse-gas emissions of 1.4 million tons of CO2e, and emissions intensity of 3.2 tons CO2e per FTE. Deloitte reported more than $647 million in global Learning & Development direct investment in FY2024.
EY and KPMG statistics
EY reported combined global revenue of US$51.2 billion for FY24, up 3.9% in local currency. Its service-line revenue was US$17.299 billion for Assurance, US$12.080 billion for Tax, US$15.606 billion for Consulting, and US$6.236 billion for Strategy and Transactions. EY reported total headcount of 392,995.
EY’s regional revenue figures were US$24.146 billion in the Americas, US$19.860 billion in EMEIA, and US$7.215 billion in Asia-Pacific. Its reported people counts included 127,617 in Assurance, 73,098 in Tax, 117,900 in Consulting, and 25,483 in Strategy and Transactions. EY reported 156,851 people in EMEIA, 68,618 in Asia-Pacific, and 74,888 in Global Entities. EY Fabric was deployed across 180 countries and had more than 2 million unique client users.
KPMG reported annual globally aggregated revenue of US$38.4 billion for FY24, up 5.1% in local currency and 5.4% in U.S. dollars. Its headcount grew to 275,288. KPMG reported growth of 10% in Tax & Legal Services, 6% in Audit, and 2% in Advisory. Regionally, EMA grew 8%, the Americas grew 4%, and Asia Pacific grew 1%.
KPMG reported 13,410 partners and 249,575 other employees in FY24. Its network operated in 143 countries and territories. KPMG’s 10 by 30 strategy aims to economically empower 10 million disadvantaged young people by 2030; that is a stated target, not a reported completed outcome.
These global figures are useful for understanding scale, service lines, and geographic reach, but they should be read with their labels intact. PwC, Deloitte, EY, and KPMG report their own fiscal-year results, and the measures include different terms such as revenue, aggregate revenue, headcount, workforce, clients, and engagements. For a small business choosing an accounting provider, local expertise, service scope, responsiveness, and fit may matter more than the network’s global size.