Salary benchmark
Is $110,730 good for Accountant in San Francisco, CA?
For a mapped Accountants and Auditors role in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area, a base salary near $110,730 sits around the official BLS OEWS median wage estimate. A stronger offer usually includes clear bonus terms, benefits, review timing, and limited restrictive language.
Role mapping note: Prepare, analyze, and verify financial records and tax documents.
| Percentile | Annual base benchmark |
|---|---|
| 10th | $73,420 |
| 25th | $88,820 |
| 50th | $110,730 |
| 75th | $143,590 |
| 90th | $180,060 |
How to use this benchmark
- Below $88,820
- Below the local 25th percentile for this mapped occupation. Confirm level, scope, and whether the employer can move base salary or add guaranteed sign-on.
- $88,820 to $110,730
- Between the 25th percentile and median. Check whether the role is entry, mid-level, or scoped below the public occupation mapping before deciding how hard to push.
- $110,730 to $143,590
- Between median and the 75th percentile. Base pay is more competitive, so negotiation may shift toward bonus clarity, equity terms, review timing, schedule, and benefits.
- Above $143,590
- Above the 75th percentile. Pressure-test total compensation quality and restrictive clauses instead of assuming the headline base salary tells the whole story.
Negotiation signals for this role
- The role owns close, audit, tax, revenue recognition, SOX controls, multi-entity accounting, or system cleanup.
- The employer expects CPA progress, public-accounting experience, or technical accounting research.
- The position supports executives, board reporting, fundraising, acquisition work, or rapid finance-team scaling.
Offer risks to check
- Busy-season or close-calendar overtime is expected but not addressed in the offer.
- CPA reimbursement, exam time, continuing education, or professional dues are mentioned without reimbursement rules.
- Bonus, title progression, or promotion timing depends on vague performance language.
What this public benchmark misses
- This page maps Accountant to SOC 13-2011, Accountants and Auditors; the actual offer may be narrower, broader, or leveled differently than that public occupation group.
- Public wage data cannot price busy-season intensity, CPA support, audit cycle timing, equity, or startup finance volatility.
- The benchmark does not distinguish staff, senior, controller-track, tax, audit, revenue, and technical accounting scope.
- BLS OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not add private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
Questions to ask the recruiter
- Which close, audit, tax, or reporting responsibilities are owned by this role?
- How many hours are typical during close, audit, and tax deadlines?
- What CPA support, exam time, dues, and education reimbursement are included?
- What title or pay review happens after the first full close or audit cycle?
San Francisco, CA and remote context
- Confirm whether the band is anchored to San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, another Bay Area office, or a remote location policy.
- Equity, commute expectations, and relocation support can matter as much as base salary in the final decision.
- If the role is remote or hybrid, ask whether pay is anchored to San Francisco, CA, a headquarters band, or your home market.
Source note: BLS OEWS May 2025, mapped to SOC 13-2011 and BLS area code 0041860. OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not fully capture equity, signing bonus, severance, or every total-compensation detail.
FAQ
Is $110,730 a good salary for an Accountant in San Francisco, CA?
$110,730 is near the BLS OEWS median base-wage estimate for the mapped Accountants and Auditors occupation in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area. Treat it as a base salary anchor, then evaluate bonus, equity, benefits, schedule, review timing, and restrictive terms before deciding whether the full offer is strong.
What should an Accountant negotiate beyond base salary?
Start with level and scope. For this role, one useful signal is whether the role owns close, audit, tax, revenue recognition, SOX controls, multi-entity accounting, or system cleanup. Also ask for written details on any variable pay, equity, review timing, and offer terms that could affect future mobility.
What does this benchmark miss for Accountant offers?
This page maps Accountant to SOC 13-2011, Accountants and Auditors; the actual offer may be narrower, broader, or leveled differently than that public occupation group. Public wage data cannot price busy-season intensity, CPA support, audit cycle timing, equity, or startup finance volatility. The benchmark does not distinguish staff, senior, controller-track, tax, audit, revenue, and technical accounting scope. BLS OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not add private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
How should remote or hybrid offers tied to San Francisco, CA be checked?
Confirm whether the band is anchored to San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, another Bay Area office, or a remote location policy. Equity, commute expectations, and relocation support can matter as much as base salary in the final decision. If the role is remote or hybrid, ask whether pay is anchored to San Francisco, CA, a headquarters band, or your home market.
Which public data source is used on this page?
This page uses BLS OEWS May 2025, mapped to SOC 13-2011 (Accountants and Auditors) and BLS area code 0041860. It uses public OEWS wage estimates, not private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
On an H-1B (or hoping for one)?
Since March 2026 the H-1B lottery weighs entries by OFLC wage level, so where this salary lands changes your selection odds. Request a free H-1B Offer Brief — estimated wage level, lottery entries, and a prevailing-wage sanity check for your offer.