Side-by-side distribution
Accountant
$85,403
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 27.8%
- Live roles
- 3,536
CFO
$198,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 26.9%
- Live roles
- 568
Highest-paying jobs
Corporate / Controllership Accountant
Senior Accountant Expert
Managed Services - Private Asr - Senior Accountant
Senior Accountant
Senior Accountant
Lead Tax Accountant, Tax Audit & Compliance
Senior Forward Deployed Accountant
Senior Forward Deployed Accountant
Senior Technical Accountant
Sr. Accountant, AI Operations
Highest-paying jobs
Chief Financial Officer
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer
VP Digital & Technology Solutions Partner - Finance, Accounting & Oracle ERP
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Vice Dean, Finance & Administration and Chief Financial Officer
Managing Director, CFO Accounting Advisory
Managing Director - CFO Accounting Advisory
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
BDO Canada
|
$79,000 | 26 |
Supporting Strategies
|
$70,200 | 14 |
U.S. Bank
|
$72,520 | 12 |
Hunt St
|
$24,005 | 11 |
Cushman & Wakefield
|
$56,888 | 10 |
Anduril Industries
|
$114,500 | 9 |
CoreWeave
|
$114,000 | 9 |
Colliers International
|
$66,401 | 9 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Cherry Bekaert
|
$74,000 | 19 |
| BT Baker Tilly | $268,348 | 8 |
The Symicor Group
|
$185,000 | 6 |
Bank of America
|
$135,175 | 6 |
Fortitude Re
|
$206,250 | 4 |
Hold Brothers
|
$195,000 | 3 |
Ankura
|
$142,500 | 3 |
Truist
|
$125,000 | 3 |
Accountant salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $120,500 | 43 |
| Seattle | $103,222 | 6 |
| New York | $101,875 | 84 |
| Austin | $101,750 | 3 |
| Los Angeles | $93,744 | 22 |
| Boston | $92,079 | 19 |
| Chicago | $91,088 | 48 |
| Denver | $90,900 | 25 |
| London | $79,000 | 3 |
| Toronto | $70,616 | 25 |
CFO salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $300,000 | 13 |
| Denver | $225,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $185,673 | 10 |
| New York | $160,000 | 33 |
| Austin | $155,775 | 8 |
| Boston | $149,375 | 5 |
| Chicago | $138,950 | 25 |
| Seattle | $138,075 | 3 |
| Atlanta | $138,075 | 11 |
Accountant vs CFO: which pays more?
The median for Accountant is $85,403 per year (typically $70,000–$104,647), versus $198,500 for CFO ($137,500–$270,000). That puts CFO about 132% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Accountant and CFO are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.