Tax season just drew to a close, but we still need to know the best states for accountants and auditors.
I did my taxes by myself on TurboTax and I had a really good time with it. It made it super easy for me to input my information without having to think about it and then I got a few hundred dollars direct deposited into my account two weeks later. I don’t understand taxes and I had never done them before, so this was a great option for me. There was no way I was going to find someone to do them and pay them for it, mostly because I wanted to do my taxes alone and at home in my pajamas. It’s a beautiful concept.
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I’m quite proud of accountants because they actually enjoy numbers and don’t break out into hives when they see tax forms. When I got my W-2 in the mail I was immediately concerned even though it’s the simplest of tax forms and nothing like what most people need to work on. That’s why they hire accountants and auditors because they can file the paperwork correctly, accurately, and with as little error as possible. One of my biggest fears is being audited by the IRS because I accidentally filed my taxes wrong. Everyone has to do taxes though, and if you’re an accountant you might want to take a look at the highest paying countries for accountants.
In order to create this list of best states for accountants and auditors, we took statistics for the annual average salary and number of employees in each state from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. From there, we looked at the cost of living index in each state from MERIC. It’s important to look at both the annual salary and the cost of living index when trying to determine where to live because if the salary is too low in comparison to a high cost of living, it’s probably not a great option. The best states are the ones with the highest salary and lowest cost of living, so we took the average of those two factors in order to create our list and rank the states.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best states for accountants and auditors.
25. Minnesota
Cost of Living Index: 101.1
Annual Mean Salary: $70,920
Hourly Mean Wage: $34.09
Number of Employees: 27,130
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24. Kentucky
Cost of Living Index: 90.8
Annual Mean Salary: $63,790
Hourly Mean Wage: $30.66
Number of Employees: 10,610
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23. Kansas
Cost of Living Index: 90.4
Annual Mean Salary: $64,010
Hourly Mean Wage: $30.77
Number of Employees: 12,010
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22. Iowa
Cost of Living Index: 91.7
Annual Mean Salary: $65,470
Hourly Mean Wage: $31.47
Number of Employees: 9,630
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21. Pennsylvania
Cost of Living Index: 102.8
Annual Mean Salary: $73,500
Hourly Mean Wage: $35.33
Number of Employees: 52,590
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20. Wyoming
Cost of Living Index: 91.7
Annual Mean Salary: $66,690
Hourly Mean Wage: $32.06
Number of Employees: 1,840
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19. Nebraska
Cost of Living Index: 91.3
Annual Mean Salary: $66,730
Hourly Mean Wage: $32.08
Number of Employees: 8,700
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18. New Jersey
Cost of Living Index: 121.0
Annual Mean Salary: $88,940
Hourly Mean Wage: $42.75
Number of Employees: 36,640
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17. Tennessee
Cost of Living Index: 89.8
Annual Mean Salary: $66,330
Hourly Mean Wage: $31.88
Number of Employees: 16,430
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16. Arkansas
Cost of Living Index: 88.5
Annual Mean Salary: $65,740
Hourly Mean Wage: $31.60
Number of Employees: 5,980
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15. Alabama
Cost of Living Index: 91.2
Annual Mean Salary: $67,750
Hourly Mean Wage: $32.57
Number of Employees: 15,360
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14. Indiana
Cost of Living Index: 87.9
Annual Mean Salary: $65,880
Hourly Mean Wage: $31.67
Number of Employees: 20,010
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13. Utah
Cost of Living Index: 92.8
Annual Mean Salary: $70,220
Hourly Mean Wage: $33.75
Number of Employees: 10,600
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12. Colorado
Cost of Living Index: 102.1
Annual Mean Salary: $77,400
Hourly Mean Wage: $37.21
Number of Employees: 34,150
We’re halfway through our list of best states for accountants and auditors, and now, let’s see the other half.
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11. Delaware
Cost of Living Index: 102.6
Annual Mean Salary: $77,860
Hourly Mean Wage: $37.43
Number of Employees: 5,890
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10. Oklahoma
Cost of Living Index: 88.6
Annual Mean Salary: $67,260
Hourly Mean Wage: $32.33
Number of Employees: 14,150
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9. Ohio
Cost of Living Index: 93.0
Annual Mean Salary: $70,860
Hourly Mean Wage: $34.06
Number of Employees: 32,890
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8. Missouri
Cost of Living Index: 90.8
Annual Mean Salary: $70,530
Hourly Mean Wage: $33.90
Number of Employees: 24,130
Copyright: lenetssergey / 123RF Stock Photo
7. North Carolina
Cost of Living Index: 94.2
Annual Mean Salary: $74,200
Hourly Mean Wage: $35.67
Number of Employees: 31,080
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6. Idaho
Cost of Living Index: 89.6
Annual Mean Salary: $71,960
Hourly Mean Wage: $34.59
Number of Employees: 3,970
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5. Illinois
Cost of Living Index: 95.5
Annual Mean Salary: $76,950
Hourly Mean Wage: $36.99
Number of Employees: 51,350
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4. Virginia
Cost of Living Index: 100.2
Annual Mean Salary: $83,380
Hourly Mean Wage: $40.08
Number of Employees: 40,220
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3. Georgia
Cost of Living Index: 91.4
Annual Mean Salary: $76,560
Hourly Mean Wage: $36.80
Number of Employees: 36,360
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2. Michigan
Cost of Living Index: 88.2
Annual Mean Salary: $74,360
Hourly Mean Wage: $35.75
Number of Employees: 30,510
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1. Texas
Cost of Living Index: 90.7
Annual Mean Salary: $80,490
Hourly Mean Wage: $38.69
Number of Employees: 118,320
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That concludes our list of the best states for accountants and auditors. If you’re looking for the best place to live and work or the best place to file your taxes, you should consider the options on this list.
