Is the CPA worth it?

Do you need a CPA? #

Share of open postings at each level by what they say about the CPA license. "Eligible or pursuing" means the posting asks for someone who can sit for the exam or is working toward the license. Levels show once they have + postings. Senior manager is a public accounting title; director includes controllers, heads of accounting and chief accounting officers.

What does the CPA unlock? #

Same level: posting requires a CPA, or doesn't say

Posted pay only (yearly). The ladder shows the median at each level; the pay jump between levels comes mostly with experience and responsibility, and the percentages show how often the license is required at each step. The cards compare postings at the same level that state a CPA is required vs postings that don't say so. "Not stated" doesn't mean the license isn't needed: at public accounting firms, senior managers are expected to be CPAs whether or not the posting says it. Each employer counts once, at the median of its postings, so one firm posting a role in 50 cities can't swamp the rest. Shown when both sides have + postings with pay from 4+ employers. Hover a bar for the range. This compares postings, not people: roles that require the license can differ in other ways too.

Will an employer pay for it? #

Counted only when the posting, or the firm's own careers page, says it. Plenty of firms pay for the exam without putting it in their postings, so it's always worth asking.