FinanceBLS OESTech Hub100/100 · Grade A+BLS.OEWS.2026.v2

Certified Public Accountant Salary in Dallas, TX

2026 · BLS OEWS · 1.1M employer payroll records · Updated daily

Median salary
$97,515
per year
P75 target
$132,960
negotiation anchor
Hourly rate
$47/hr
2,080 hr/yr baseline
+4%
vs US avg
+8%
demand growth
High
AI risk

Salary Distribution — Dallas

P10Entry Level
$54,070

New graduates, 0–1 yr exp

P2525th Percentile
$71,519

1–3 years experience

P50Median
$97,515

3–7 years, typical professional

P7575th Percentile
$132,960

Senior / high-performer — target

P90Top 10%
$175,867

Staff / principal / lead

Data Confidence
100/100A+
Government earnings data30/30

Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS federal authority

BLS Spring 2026 release40/40

1mo since last update

Multi-city cross-validation16/16

8 cities validated

Full percentile coverage14/14

P10, P25, P50, P75, P90 + hourly rate

BLS.OEWS.2026.v2Updated Jun 12, 2026

Certified Public Accountant Salary by Experience Level in Dallas

How compensation grows from entry-level through staff / lead

Experience LevelYearsPercentileAnnual SalaryMonthlyHourly
Entry00 yrs$60,459$5,038$29
Junior22 yrs$78,012$6,501$38
Mid-LevelTypical44 yrs$91,014$7,585$44
Senior66 yrs$109,607$9,134$53
Staff1010 yrs$157,974$13,165$76
Principal1414 yrs$214,923$17,910$103
Distinguished1818 yrs$229,160$19,097$110

Based on BLS OEWS percentile distribution. Actual salary depends on employer, skills, and negotiation.

Skills That Earn More — Certified Public Accountant

Estimated premium above the Dallas median based on market demand

CPA Licence+10% ≈ +$10K/yr
Tax Law+9% ≈ +$9K/yr
GAAP+5% ≈ +$5K/yr
Audit+4% ≈ +$4K/yr
Financial Statements+4% ≈ +$4K/yr

Estimates based on job-posting salary premiums for verified high-demand skills.

Top Skills Market Premium

Real premium data from LinkedIn, StackOverflow & Levels.fyi job postings

All-skills combined premium
+$31K/yr
Highest single skill
CPA Licence +10%
CPA Licence+10% · +$10K/yr
Tax Law+9% · +$9K/yr
GAAP+5% · +$5K/yr
Audit+4% · +$4K/yr
Financial Statements+4% · +$4K/yr

Premiums represent verified market uplift for each skill based on job posting analysis. Adding the top-3 skills compounds — but employers rarely pay all premiums simultaneously.

Certified Public Accountant Intelligence Report

Composite career metrics and full compensation breakdown — computed from BLS demand data

Career Opportunity Score

Composite: demand growth × 1.4 + (100 − AI risk) × 0.4

F24/100
High RiskModerateExceptional
Demand Growth+8%/yr
AI Displacement Risk68% — High
Risk-Adj. Salary Growth+1.5%/yr
High Risk: High automation exposure and slow demand growth. Significant pivot risk by 2030.
BLS Official 10-yr OutlookAverage
+4%
Growth 2022–2032
+41K
New jobs projected
$100K
In 2 yrs
$105K
In 5 yrs
$113K
In 10 yrs

BLS OOH employment outlook · Risk-adjusted growth model. Not financial advice.

Total Compensation — Certified Public Accountant

Beyond base salary: bonus, equity, and employer-provided benefits

Total Comp Range
$151K$229K
per year
Base (51%)Bonus (31%)Equity (6%)Benefits (11%)
Base Salary
Median market rate
$97,515
Annual Bonus
Typical range: 20–100% of base
$58,509
Equity (annualised)
~13% of base — RSUs/options
$12,189
Benefits Value
~22% — healthcare, 401k, PTO
$21,453
Total Comp (mid)
$189,666

Sources: Levels.fyi TC data, LinkedIn Salary Insights, Robert Half 2025 Guide. Equity assumes established company RSU vesting schedule.

Typical Benefits for Certified Public Accountants

Total compensation beyond base salary — often adds 20–35% to your effective pay

Health Insurance
Medical, dental, vision
401(k) Match
Avg 3–6% employer match
PTO
15–25 days / year
Remote / Hybrid
Common in this role
Total compensation tip: Always negotiate base salary first. Equity, signing bonus, and remote flexibility have the highest negotiation leverage in the current market.

Compare Certified Public Accountant Salaries by City

How Dallas, TX stacks up against other major markets

CityMedianP75vs US avg
Dallas, TX (current)$97,515$132,960++4%
New York, NY$137,177$187,038++46%
San Francisco, CA$158,109$215,578++68%
Seattle, WA$129,513$176,588++38%
Austin, TX$106,885$145,736++14%
Boston, MA$128,860$175,698++37%
Chicago, IL$111,034$151,393++18%
Los Angeles, CA$126,141$171,991++34%
Denver, CO$107,634$146,757++14%

Career Paths from Certified Public Accountant

O*NET · US Dept of Labor

Higher-paying roles in the same field

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average Certified Public Accountant salary in Dallas, TX?

The median Certified Public Accountant salary in Dallas, TX is $98K per year (2026), based on BLS OEWS employer payroll data from 1.1 million employers. The top 25% earn $133K+ per year.

What is a good Certified Public Accountant salary in Dallas, TX?

The 75th percentile ($133K/yr) is the professional benchmark — what the top quarter already earns. It's a documented, negotiable target backed by BLS payroll data. Anything above the median ($98K) is above-average for this role in Dallas, TX.

How much does a Certified Public Accountant earn per hour in Dallas, TX?

Based on the median annual salary of $98K, a Certified Public Accountant in Dallas, TX earns approximately $47/hr (2,080-hour work year). The P75 rate is ~$64/hr.

Is Dallas, TX a good market for Certified Public Accountants?

Dallas, TX pays 4% above the US national average for this role. Demand for Certified Public Accountants is growing 8% annually, and AI automation risk is rated high for this occupation.

How do I negotiate a higher Certified Public Accountant salary in Dallas, TX?

Cite the BLS P75 figure ($133K) — it is verifiable public data from government payroll records. Request the full compensation package: base + equity/bonus + benefits. Timing matters: negotiate at the offer stage, not after acceptance. Counter with a specific number, not a range.

How Is This Salary Calculated?

Every number on this page is derived from a transparent, reproducible methodology — no estimates, no black boxes.

Where does the salary data come from?

All US figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey — a mandatory biannual survey of 1.1 million US employers who report actual payroll data. The BLS publishes national, state, and metro-area percentile wages for every Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. SalaryScope fetches this via the BLS public API and refreshes every 24 hours. No self-reported data is used at any stage.

How is the Dallas figure calculated?

The BLS publishes metro-area occupational wage statistics for 300+ US metropolitan areas. For Dallas, SalaryScope uses the BLS metro premium ratio (metro median ÷ national median) and applies it to the national baseline. This ratio accounts for local employer density, cost-of-living, and industry concentration. The figures are updated whenever the BLS releases new OEWS metro data.

What do P10, P25, P50, P75, and P90 mean?

These are salary percentiles from employer payroll records. P50 (median) means 50% of workers earn less — this is the market midpoint. P75 means 75% of workers earn less — this is the "top 25% earners" threshold and is the recommended negotiation anchor. P10 and P90 represent the bottom 10% and top 10% of earners respectively. All figures are annual and based on 2,080 working hours per year (52 × 40hrs).

How is total compensation (bonus + equity) estimated?

Total comp is estimated using industry-specific compensation models calibrated to publicly available surveys (LinkedIn Salary, Radford, Levels.fyi). Bonus percentages are set by category: Finance (15–25%), Technology (10–20%), Healthcare (5–10%). Equity/RSUs are annualised over a standard 4-year cliff vest. Benefits value ($15K–$25K) reflects average employer-paid health, retirement match, and PTO. These are estimates — your actual comp depends on employer, level, and negotiation.

How often is data updated?

US BLS salary data refreshes every 24 hours via the BLS public API. OECD international wages refresh monthly. ECB currency rates refresh every 4 hours. The timestamp shown on each page reflects the most recent BLS data pull for that occupation.

Full formulas and source citations on the methodology page.

How much of $97,515 do you actually take home?

Calculate exact net pay after federal, state, and FICA taxes — 2026 brackets.

Salary trend data not available for this occupation.

Education Premium — Certified Public Accountant

How degree level affects Certified Public Accountant salary · ACS Census data

High School / GED
-32%
~$66K
Associate's Degree
-15%
~$83K
Bachelor's DegreeBASELINE
~$98K
Master's Degree
+30%
~$127K
Doctoral (PhD)
+22%
~$119K
Professional (MBA/JD/MD)
+52%
~$148K

Source: US Census Bureau ACS PUMS Table B20004 · BLS OES wage data. Premiums shown vs bachelor's degree baseline at median experience.

Am I Paid Fairly?

Enter your current salary to instantly see where you rank in the Dallas market and get your data-backed negotiation opening ask.

📊Your exact market percentile based on BLS distribution
🎯P75 target + 10% stretch as your opening ask price
🚪Walking-away floor so you know when to move on
Dallas benchmarks
$98K
Market median
$133K
P75 target
$176K
Top 10%

Negotiation Calculator

Enter your current salary to see your market position and opening ask

$
Certified Public Accountant in Dallas — Distribution
P10
$54K
P25
$72K
P50
$98K
P75
$133K
P90
$176K
Enter your salary above to see your negotiation position

Data Source & Attribution

Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, based on 1.1 million employer payroll records. Data is updated via ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) and reflects the most recent BLS OEWS release cycle. This data is in the public domain under BLS data dissemination policy.

BLS.OEWS.2026.v2

Jun 12, 2026

Full methodology →