Finance & Accounting Salaries by Role, Plus Industry Trends for 2023

Addison Group

The world of finance and accounting (F&A) has always been fast paced and rigorous. Long hours can trigger employee burnout, which leads to dissatisfaction and exhaustion.

Sometimes, stress levels cause people to exit the industry, leaving companies to reevaluate how to retain talent.

No brilliant calculations are needed to solve this challenge.

Simply look at the F&A employment trends from our 2023 Workforce Planning & Salary Guide to understand what employees value most, plus average national salaries across the finance and accounting industry.

Highest-Paid Finance & Accounting Jobs

RoleNational Avg. Salary
CFO$200,500
Tax Director$180,000
Treasurer$175,000
Corporate Controller$170,957
Head of Financial Reporting$165,966
Controller$137,908
Financial Reporting Executive$133,312
Mergers and Acquisitions Manager$130,000
Security Analyst$119,924
Accounting Manager$114,523
Finance Planning Analyst$110,011
Business Process Improvement Analyst$105,172
Tax Professionals$98,250
Management Consultant$94,773
Senior Accountant$85,710
CPA$85,152
Accountant$79,823
Internal Auditor$78,334
Compliance Specialist$74,107
Property Accountant$64,490
Staff Accountant$58,417
Billing Specialist$49,576
Payroll Specialist$48,990
Bookkeeper$47,614
Accounts Payable Specialist$46,557
Accounts Receivable Specialist$41,843
Collection Specialist$40,636
Data Entry Specialist$38,377

Employees are counting on workplace autonomy

Companies must up their game on greater schedule and location flexibility, as firms that don’t are seeing 25% of finance and accounting workers leave.

The traditional 9-to-5 workday is well on its way out the door, as 52% of CFO’s plan to shift 5-105% of their workforce to permanently remote.

Employee retention rates fall as wage inflation soars

The industry is experiencing enormous bumps in compensation for many roles — and companies are complying with salary requests due to the pressing need for talent.

However, companies are remaining cautious about internal equity, making sure their employees are paid fairly across the board. To win over top-notch candidates, competitive salaries and attractive benefits are a must.

Finance & accounting: smaller candidate pool than years past

Fewer college students are majoring in finance and accounting than ever, resulting in a smaller candidate pool. To address this shortfall, companies need to improve training and offer reimbursement for continuing education programs and professional certifications, including CPA, CFA, and CFP.

Employees who obtain these expert certifications expect higher salaries, and firms should plan to match their requests

Importance of gender equity in finance & accounting industry

The finance and accounting industry must become more inclusive to better serve its workforce. While more women are entering the field, they still lag in senior finance roles and pay equity.

Employees are also becoming increasingly interested in companies’ DE&I initiatives. Firms that candidly address and prioritize DE&I attract more applicants, especially since it has become a value across generations.


This article feature trends from Addison Group’s 2023 Workforce Planning & Salary Guide.

For more valuable insights and national averages of salaries across hundreds of roles in administration, digital marketing, finance, accounting, healthcare, human resources, and information technology, download your free copy today.