Accountant Salary in Atlanta, GA: Median $89,352 in 2026
Atlanta (GA) · COL index 113 · Unemployment 3.7% · Metro pop 6,230,000 · Rank #65 of 283 for Accountant salary
A Accountant in Atlanta earns an estimated median of $89,352 per year. That figure starts from the Georgia state-level BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median[1]($76,300) and scales it by Atlanta's composite cost-of-living index of 113 (US = 100). The 10th percentile comes in around $48,376; the 90th percentile reaches $158,432. After federal, Georgia state, and FICA taxes, a single-filer Accountant takes home approximately $67,241/year — about $5,603/month or $2,586 every other week.
Compared to the national Accountant median of $79,880, Atlanta pays +11.9%. Relative to the Atlanta median household income of $71,400, a Accountantsalary runs +25.1%. Local unemployment is 3.7%[3], with an estimated 3,939 annual Accountant openings inferred from metro population share and national employment (1,412,200).
Accountant Snapshot — Atlanta (2026)
Every row cites a primary public dataset. Rent + home values use Zillow where the metro is in the ZHVI/ZORI coverage set; otherwise ACS + census tract fallbacks.
| Metric | Atlanta | National | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accountant median salary | $89,352 | $79,880 | [1] |
| 10th percentile | $48,376 | $58,560 | [1] |
| 90th percentile | $158,432 | $144,590 | [1] |
| Annual take-home (single filer) | $67,241 | — | [8][10] |
| Median home value (ZHVI) | $379,509 | — | [5] |
| Median rent (ZORI) | $1,811/mo | — | [5] |
| HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR) | $1,675/mo | — | [6] |
| Median household income (ACS) | $86,338 | — | [7] |
| Cost-of-living index | 113.0 | 100.0 | [4] |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | — | [3] |
How Accountant Salaries Work in Atlanta
City-level wages aren't published directly by BLS for most SOC codes. We build them by anchoring to the Georgia state-level OEWS median ($76,300) and scaling by Atlanta's composite cost-of-living index (113)[1][4]. That index combines Census ACS rent, Zillow ZHVI, BLS CPI, and AdvisorSmith / ApartmentAdvisor inputs to produce one number per metro. When BLS publishes a separate metro-level wage (MSA-level OEWS), that takes priority — a handful of large metros including New York, LA, Chicago, and DC have this coverage.
On top of the gross wage, the standard US payroll stack applies: federal income tax using 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction[8], FICA (Social Security 6.2% up to $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45%)[9], and Georgia state income tax at a 4.7% effective rate ($4,169/yr on the $89,352 median)[10].
Atlanta also sits inside a larger metro labor market where commute patterns, remote-work policies, and adjacent-metro wages compete. A tight labor market (unemployment below 4%) gives candidates pricing power in negotiations. Median household income in the metro is $86,338, which frames what "a good Accountant salary" means locally: a $$89,352 wage pays about 103% of the median household income on a single earner.
The deterministic identity: take_home = gross − federal − state − FICA − pre_tax. All math runs client-side; nothing is sent to our servers.
Accountant Salary & Cost-of-Living Context — Atlanta
Buy vs rent in Atlanta
Monthly PITI on the $379,509 median home in Atlanta is ~$2,658/mo — vs a $1,811/mo median rent. Rent burden on median household income is 25.2%, which falls within the recommended 30% guideline for housing costs.
Cost of Living Breakdown — Atlanta
Estimated annual expense shares on a $67,241 take-home, using BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey baseline shares scaled to Atlanta's COL index of 113. Housing uses the actual median rent.
BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares[1], scaled by Atlanta's COL index of 113[4]. Housing uses actual median rent of $1,576/month.
Salary vs Housing Affordability in Atlanta
Renting
Buying
At $5,603/mo take-home, the 30% rent rule caps housing at $1,681/mo. Atlanta's typical 1–2BR rent runs $1,811/mo[5] (HUD 2BR FMR: $1,675/mo), making rent very affordable on a median Accountant salary. For homebuyers, the 4.3× price-to-income ratio is workable with a strong credit profile and manageable other debts.
How Atlanta Stacks Up for Accountants
Against 283 major US cities: Atlanta ranks #65 for nominal Accountant salary, #184 for rent affordability, and #216 for overall purchasing power. High cost of living absorbs much of Atlanta's nominal wage premium. Accountants here often trade pay for lifestyle, proximity to employers, or family roots — consider nearby metros on a salary-to-COL basis.
Nearby Cities — Accountant Salary Comparison
Atlanta's closest metros, scaled by each city's cost-of-living index. Useful for relocation decisions where commute or remote-work policies allow a neighboring metro trade-off.
| City | Est. salary | COL | Rent | vs GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA ★ | $89,352 | 113 | $1,576 | — |
| Augusta, GA | $70,294 | 88 | $850 | -21.3% |
| Savannah, GA | $79,880 | 100 | $1,598 | -10.6% |
| Columbus, GA | $67,898 | 85 | $900 | -24.0% |
| Athens, GA | $72,691 | 91 | $1,100 | -18.6% |
| Macon, GA | $65,502 | 82 | $850 | -26.7% |
Accountant Job Market in Atlanta
Atlanta has an estimated 3,939 annual Accountantopenings, extrapolated from the metro's share of 1,412,200 national Accountants[1]. The 3.7% unemployment rate[3] signals a competitive labor market where skilled professionals can push for top-of-band offers.
Top employers in Atlanta
About the profession: Accountants prepare and examine financial records, ensure tax compliance, and advise on financial decisions. Many work in public accounting, corporations, or as self-employed CPAs. Typical entry requirement: bachelor's degree. Projected growth through 2034: 6%[2].
Career Progression & Related Professions in Atlanta
Early-career Accountants in Atlanta start around $48,376, reach the city median ($89,352) after 4–8 years, and hit 90th-percentile territory ($158,432) at senior / specialized levels.
Related finance professions in Atlanta
Calculators for Accountants in Atlanta
Other professions in Atlanta
Frequently Asked Questions — Accountant in Atlanta
How much does a Accountant make in Atlanta, GA?
The estimated median salary for a Accountant in Atlanta is $89,352/year, scaled from the BLS OEWS Georgia state median ($76,300) by Atlanta's composite cost-of-living index of 113 (US = 100). After federal, Georgia state, and FICA taxes, take-home is approximately $67,241/year or $5,603/month.
Can a Accountant afford to live in Atlanta?
On $5,603/month take-home, the 30% rent rule affords $1,681/month. Atlanta's Zillow ZORI median rent is $1,811/mo, HUD's 2BR Fair Market Rent is $1,675/mo. The rent-to-income ratio works out to 21.2%, making housing very affordable for a Accountant at the local median. Home-buyers face 4.3× price-to-income, needing roughly 4.3 years to save a 20% down payment at a 20% savings rate.
How much tax does a Accountant pay in Atlanta?
On $89,352 gross, a Accountant in Atlanta pays approximately $11,106 in federal income tax (12.4% effective), $4,169 in Georgia state income tax (4.7% effective), and $6,836 in FICA (Social Security + Medicare). Total effective rate: 24.7%. Some Georgia cities levy local income taxes in addition; check your municipal DoR before filing.
How does Atlanta rank for Accountant salaries vs other cities?
Atlanta ranks #65 out of 283 tracked metros for nominal Accountant salary, #184 for rent affordability (rent-to-income), and #216 for purchasing power (salary ÷ COL). The high-purchasing-power cities tend to be mid-size metros with strong local employers and moderate housing costs; the low-ranked cities trade high nominal pay for steep rents.
What is the cost-of-living breakdown for a Accountant in Atlanta?
On $67,241 take-home, a reasonable baseline budget for Atlanta looks like: housing $18,912/yr (28.1%); food $8,698/yr; transportation $7,074/yr; healthcare $4,890/yr; utilities $3,581/yr; savings + discretionary $24,086/yr. Numbers use BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares scaled to Atlanta's COL index of 113 and the city's actual median rent.
What's the Accountant job market like in Atlanta?
Atlanta's unemployment rate is 3.7% across the metro of 6,230,000. Estimated annual Accountant openings: ~3,939 (extrapolated from 1,412,200 nationally employed and the metro's population share). The tight labor market favors candidates in salary negotiations.
Do Atlanta employers pay above or below the Georgia median for Accountants?
Yes — Atlanta's estimated Accountant median of $89,352 is 11.9% above the national median. Higher nominal pay in this city partially offsets the higher cost of living; the real picture depends on housing costs and state taxes.
Methodology — How we compute this page
Wage estimate. The Atlanta median is derived from the Georgia state-level BLS OEWS median ($76,300), scaled by Atlanta's composite cost-of-living index of 113. When BLS publishes a direct MSA-level wage for the occupation, that takes priority over the scaled state median. Percentile bands inherit the same scale factor.
Housing + rent. Median home value uses Zillow ZHVI; median rent prefers Zillow ZORI and falls back to Census ACS median gross rent. HUD Fair Market Rents (50th-percentile 2BR) are shown where HUD publishes the metro. Price-to-income and rent-to-income ratios use the estimated Accountantmedian (not the city's overall median household income) — to reflect the specific role-vs-city affordability picture.
Tax math. Federal tax uses 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction. FICA is Social Security 6.2% up to the $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45% (+ 0.9% Additional Medicare above $200,000). State tax uses Georgia's 2026 brackets from the state DoR (mirrored via Tax Foundation where the DoR's publication is paywalled or split). Local income taxes (e.g. NYC, Portland-OR supplemental, OH municipal) are NOT included — check your municipal authority for specifics.
Cost of living. The 113index is the composite used by CalcFi's /data/cities.ts, which merges Census ACS, BLS CPI shelter, Zillow ZORI, and commercial COL estimators. The COL-adjusted salary on this page assumes the statewide RPP = 96.5(BEA) approximates the state's purchasing power; cities are then scaled relative to that.
Refresh cadence. BLS OEWS releases annually (typically March); BEA RPP releases annually in December; IRS brackets adjust in October; Zillow ZHVI/ZORI updates monthly; HUD FMR publishes annually in August for the upcoming fiscal year. The dateModified shown above auto-bumps to the most recent retrievedAt on any sourced value the page consumes.
Known limits. Metro-level OEWS coverage is partial — only ~50 large MSAs have separately published occupation wages; the rest inherit state-level estimates scaled by COL. Rent and home data may trail the real-time market by 1–3 months (Zillow) or 8–12 months (ACS). Rankings are capped to the city set in our dataset (283 metros), not every incorporated US city.
Sources
Every number on this page cites a primary public dataset. Last reviewed (auto-bumped on the next ISR refresh after an ETL run).
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — state-level occupational wages — www.bls.gov/oes. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- BLS Employment Projections — 2024–34 occupational growth rates — www.bls.gov/emp. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — metro-level unemployment rate — www.bls.gov/lau. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (state + metro) — www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- Zillow Research — ZHVI (home value index) + ZORI (observed rent index) — www.zillow.com/research/data. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- HUD Fair Market Rents — 50th-percentile 2-bedroom FY — www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, metro level — www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- Internal Revenue Service — Federal individual income tax brackets and standard deductions — www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- Social Security Administration — OASDI / Medicare contribution and wage-base rules — www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- Georgia Department of Revenue — 2026 individual income tax brackets (accessed via Tax Foundation mirror) — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
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