Gitnux/Report 2026

Accounting Industry Statistics

Women make up 60% of the US accounting workforce (2023), showing who drives the profession—and why diversity metrics matter.
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November 10, 2026Updated
Accounting Industry Statistics
Megan GallagherWritten by Megan Gallagher·Edited by Marcus Engström·Fact-checked by Abigail Foster
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The accounting industry at a glance

The U.S. accounting services industry generated $118.8 billion in 2025, supported by recurring tax and compliance work, expanding advisory demand, and continued consolidation among firms.

$118.8B[73]
Industry revenue, 2025
5%[28]
Accountant job growth, 2024–34
347,320[28]
Accountants in industry, 2024
194[74]
Accounting M&A deals, 2025
Market size
U.S. employer firms in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services generated $118.8 billion in revenue in the 12 months reported through the second quarter of 2025, up from $115.5 billion in the comparable prior-year period.[73]
Forecast & CAGR
A reliable industry-revenue CAGR was not identified in public primary data. As a labor-market proxy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects accountant and auditor employment to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.[28]
Segmentation
The Census classification divides the industry into four principal subsectors: offices of certified public accountants (541211), tax preparation services (541213), payroll services (541214), and other accounting services (541219). The classification distinguishes CPA offices from firms focused solely on tax preparation, payroll processing, or broader bookkeeping and accounting work.[75]
Key players & concentration
The market remains fragmented across local and regional practices, although consolidation is increasing. KPMG reported that 5% of the top 2,000 U.S. accounting firms had some form of private-equity ownership in 2025, indicating that sponsor penetration was still limited but growing.[76]
Pricing
A broad industry-wide fee index was not identified in public primary data. The median annual wage for U.S. accountants and auditors was $81,680 in May 2024, providing a benchmark for the labor cost underlying professional accounting services.[28]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Demand is being supported by tax-compliance requirements, financial reporting, and higher-value advisory work, while automation and AI are reducing routine bookkeeping and data-entry work. The main workforce challenge is maintaining the supply of qualified professionals: BLS projects 5% growth for accountants and auditors through 2034, while routine clerical work faces greater technology exposure.[28][77]
Consumer behavior & competition
Tax-service demand is increasingly digital: 93.7% of individual income-tax returns were filed electronically in IRS fiscal year 2025. Competition is therefore occurring among traditional CPA firms, tax-preparation providers, payroll platforms, and software-enabled bookkeeping services, with digital convenience and advisory breadth becoming important differentiators.[78][73]
M&A
Accounting-services M&A reached a record 194 announced or completed transactions in 2025, 26% more than in 2024. In year-to-date 2026 data reported by Capstone, transaction volume was up 14.8% year over year, while financial acquirers represented 54.8% of activity.[74]
Regulation
The industry is regulated through professional licensing, tax rules, financial-reporting standards, and audit oversight. The Census classification separates CPA offices from tax-preparation and payroll-only providers, while the IRS reported processing 271.4 million federal tax returns and other forms in fiscal year 2025, underscoring the scale of the compliance environment.[75][78]
Latest news
The most recent sector data reviewed show continued consolidation in 2026: Capstone reported 62 accounting-services M&A transactions year to date, a 14.8% increase from the comparable 2025 period. The report also identified rising financial-sponsor participation through alternative-practice structures.[74]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Accounting Industry

The leading companies in the accounting industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

EY leads Gitnux's 2026 accounting ranking with an Overall score of 9.0, with over 150 countries covered for assurance, tax, consulting and strategy and transactions. Deloitte is the runner-up at 8.7, driven by services in the audit and assurance, tax, legal, consulting and advisory mix worldwide.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in advisory and consulting

    EY

    GB

    Ranked #1 · 9.0 · Advisory and consulting

    Why we picked it: Its worldwide assurance, tax and advisory footprint supports recurring compliance and advisory delivery across markets.

    See in ranking ↓Visit ey.com ↗

  2. #2 overall

    Deloitte

    GB

    Ranked #2 · 8.7 · Advisory and consulting

    Why we picked it: Its global audit and assurance and advisory offering aligns with expanding financial-reporting and higher-value work.

    See in ranking ↓Visit deloitte.com ↗

  3. #3 overall

    Baker Tilly

    GB

    Ranked #3 · 8.7 · Advisory and consulting

    Why we picked it: Its middle-market audit, tax and advisory presence fits a fragmented market where consolidation is increasing.

    See in ranking ↓Visit bakertilly.global ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. No other segment places in the top 5, so picks 2 and 3 follow rank.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the accounting industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

EY

Advisory and consulting · GB

9.0
2

Deloitte

Advisory and consulting · GB

8.7
3

Baker Tilly

Advisory and consulting · GB

8.7
4

PwC

Advisory and consulting · GB

8.6
5

KPMG

Advisory and consulting · NL

8.5
6

Crowe

Audit, tax and advisory services worldwide · US

8.5
7

Forvis Mazars

Audit, tax, advisory and outsourcing worldwide · FR

8.1
8

Grant Thornton

Assurance, tax and advisory for middle-market clients · GB

7.9
9

RSM

Assurance, tax and consulting for middle markets · GB

7.9
10

PKF

Audit, tax and advisory services worldwide · GB

7.4

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the accounting industry. In Accounting Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/accounting-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Breakdown

Companies reporting product or business process innovation in the past three years (United States)

Did not report innovation holds the largest share at 77.7%.

22.3%
Reported innovation
77.7%
Did not report innovation
source-verifiedncses.nsf.gov

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Advanced AI adoption is broad but not universal: 13% of surveyed U.S. chief accounting officers reported no current use of advanced AI in 2025.

AI in the accounting industry

  • 13% of surveyed U.S. chief accounting officers reported no current use of advanced AI technologies in 2025.[1]
  • 7% of global chartered-accountancy professionals used machine learning for anomaly detection at least monthly in 2025.[2]
  • 19% of global chartered-accountancy professionals used AI-integrated accounting software at least monthly in 2025.[2]
  • 37% of surveyed U.S. chief accounting officers reported developing trusted-AI frameworks with supervised generative AI and basic agentic capabilities in 2025.[1]
  • 70% of global chartered-accountancy professionals used publicly available generative-AI chatbots at least monthly in 2025.[2]
  • 32% of global chartered-accountancy professionals used Microsoft Copilot at least monthly in 2025.[2]

Automation in the accounting industry

  • 48% of accountants said their businesses planned to invest in AI and automation tools over the following 12 months in 2023.[3]
  • 59% of direct reports to surveyed U.S. chief accounting officers said generative AI reduced their routine-task workload in 2025.[1]
  • 95% of surveyed accounting firms reported adopting automation technology during the year covered by the 2025 technology survey.[4]
  • 54% of accountants said their businesses planned to invest in automation tools over the following 12 months in 2024.[5]

Digital Transformation in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 51% of U.S. technology executives reported no increase in performance or profitability from digital-transformation investments during the previous two years.[1]
  • 35.51% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to business-administration or management processes in 2025.[6]
  • 55% of business-services CEOs identified keeping pace with technology and AI transformation as their greatest concern in PwC’s 2025 global CEO survey.[7]
  • 40.4% of EU enterprises in professional, scientific and technical activities used at least one AI technology in 2025.[6]

Technology Adoption in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 30.87% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to accounting, controlling or finance management in 2025.[6]
  • 27.33% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to production processes in 2025.[6]
  • 22.32% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to research and development or innovation activities in 2025.[6]
  • 18.55% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to ICT security in 2025.[6]

Cloud Computing in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 80.4% of Danish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[8]
  • 77.7% of Dutch professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[8]
  • 90.7% of Australian professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2022.[8]
  • 91.2% of Finnish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[8]

Big Data in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 57.5% of Dutch professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
  • 47.5% of German professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
  • 45.4% of Finnish professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
  • 46.8% of Swedish professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]

Blockchain in the accounting industry

  • 70.6% of accounting firms in a 2025 study reported not offering audit services for blockchain clients.[9]
  • 36% of Spanish companies surveyed said they planned to use blockchain in financial reporting in 2024.[10]

IoT in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 36.3% of Irish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2021.[8]
  • 35.6% of Swedish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2021.[8]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

AI is used for both operations and insight delivery, including client data entry and processing (69%) and fraud detection and prevention (51%) in 2024.

Business intelligence in the accounting industry

  • Less than 40% of management accountants actively used Microsoft Power BI or similar platforms, according to 2025 research.[11]
  • 68% of management accountants used advanced Microsoft Excel features such as Power Query, according to a 2025 professional research report.[11]
  • Forecasting and budgeting was the second most common business-intelligence use case among surveyed accounting firms in 2024.[12]
  • 16% of Australian accounting professionals reported widespread AI integration across their business in 2025, supporting expanded analytics capabilities.[13]
  • 60% of management accountants said big data and business-intelligence analytics were used extensively in management accounting at their organizations, globally, in 2024.[14]
  • 93% of Australian accounting professionals used data-analytics and visualization software in 2025.[13]

Data analytics in the accounting industry

  • 76% of US companies were piloting or using AI in accounting, according to a 2024 KPMG survey.[1]
  • 51% of accountants used AI for client fraud detection and prevention during the preceding 12 months, in 2024.[4]
  • 69% of accountants used AI for client data entry and processing during the preceding 12 months, in 2024.[4]
  • 47% of accountants used AI to provide clients with real-time financial insights during the preceding 12 months, in 2024.[4]
  • 98% of accountants said they had used AI to help clients during the preceding 12 months, in a 2024 survey.[4]
  • 52% of US companies were using AI specifically in financial reporting, according to KPMG’s 2024 survey.[1]

Data Quality in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 49% of supply management organizations reported that their data quality was good or excellent in 2024, based on a survey of more than 121 respondents.[15]
  • 87% of enterprise data leaders said traditional rules-based approaches to data quality did not scale to current needs in 2024.[16]
  • 23% of supply management firms spent at least 21% of their time cleaning data in 2024.[15]
  • 50% of organizations identified data-quality issues as the biggest challenge affecting their data-integration projects in 2024.[17]
  • 95% of enterprise companies with at least $1 billion in revenue had experienced a data-quality issue directly affecting business outcomes in 2024.[16]
  • 67% of supply management organizations said their data quality was better or significantly better than two years earlier in 2024.[15]

Data Governance in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 18.3% of organizations used a data-governance or catalog solution as part of their governance program in 2024.[18]
  • 71% of global organizations reported having a data-governance program in 2024, up from 60% in 2023.[17]
  • 81% of supply management organizations found their data-governance program useful in 2024.[15]
  • 33% of North American organizations had a formal data-governance organization in place in 2024.[18]
  • 61% of organizations had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, according to a survey of more than 121 supply management professionals.[15]
  • 32% of organizations in the 2024 governance study had a formal governance organization in place, while 68% had none.[18]

KPIs in the accounting industry

  • 25% of tax and accounting firms used metrics to track technology success, globally, in 2024.[19]
  • 58% of tax and accounting firms rated their personnel as somewhat technologically competent, globally, in 2024.[19]
  • 17% was the median growth rate for client accounting services among surveyed accounting firms in 2024.[20]
  • 30% of tax and accounting firms rated their personnel as very technologically competent, globally, in 2024.[19]
  • 10% of small tax and accounting firms used metrics to track technology success, globally, in 2024.[21]
  • 58% of large tax and accounting firms used metrics to track technology success, globally, in 2024.[19]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Growth is framed around client acquisition and higher charge-out rates, with 95% of surveyed mid-tier firms citing winning new clients and 82% citing increasing charge-out rates.

Growth in the accounting industry

  • 93% of surveyed mid-tier accounting firms reported fee growth in their latest financial year in ICAEW’s 2024 research.[22]
  • 95% of surveyed mid-tier firms cited winning new clients as a growth driver in ICAEW’s 2024 research.[22]
  • 82% of surveyed mid-tier firms cited increasing charge-out rates as a growth driver in ICAEW’s 2024 research.[22]
  • 64% of surveyed mid-tier firms cited existing clients spending more as a growth driver in ICAEW’s 2024 research.[22]
  • US$3 billion was invested by PwC across its global network in fiscal 2026 to expand capabilities, particularly in AI and technology.[7]

Differentiation in the accounting industry

  • 198,000 active PwC employees had completed sustainability upskilling by fiscal 2024, supporting expansion into sustainability-related services.[7]
  • 27 of 27 consulting categories received top-star ratings for PwC in Forbes’ 2024 ranking based on a global survey of clients and consultants.[7]
  • 1 in 2 accounting firms in Intuit’s 2024 survey described themselves as early adopters of new digital tools.[4]

Mergers and acquisitions in the accounting industry

  • 17% of surveyed mid-tier accounting firms had been part of a merger, according to ICAEW’s 2024 research.[22]
  • 66% of respondents rated acquisition of another firm as an attractive strategic option in ICAEW’s 2025 research.[22]
  • 64% of surveyed mid-tier accounting firms had acquired another firm, according to ICAEW’s 2024 research.[22]
  • 8 acquisitions and 7 strategic investments were made by PwC across its network in fiscal 2024.[7]
  • 12 acquisitions and strategic investments were made by PwC across its network in fiscal 2025.[7]
  • 92% of respondents said expanding the client base was the main reason firms consider a merger or acquisition in ICAEW’s 2025 research.[22]

Strategic partnerships in the accounting industry

  • 84% of surveyed mid-tier firms cited global reach as an affiliation benefit in ICAEW’s 2024 research.[22]
  • 71% of surveyed mid-tier firms cited client referrals as an affiliation benefit in ICAEW’s 2024 research.[22]
  • 90% of surveyed mid-tier accounting firms belonged to an alliance, association or network in ICAEW’s 2024 research.[22]
  • 24.5% was the growth in PwC wins with alliance partners in fiscal 2024.[7]
  • 7 key commercial alliances were listed by PwC in its fiscal 2025 global overview, including AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP, Workday and Google.[7]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce strain shows up as difficulty hiring and retention challenges, with 94% of surveyed accounting professionals saying hiring was a challenge in 2024.

Hiring in the accounting industry

  • 11,985 new graduates were hired by U.S. public accounting firms in 2024.[23]
  • 75% of U.S. accounting firms that recruited new staff in 2024 planned to hire the same number or more in 2025.[23]
  • 45% of tax and accounting firms rated recruiting employees with the necessary skills and experience highly challenging in 2025.[19]
  • 94% of surveyed accounting professionals said hiring was a challenge in 2024.[4]

Employee retention in the accounting industry

  • 36% of tax and accounting firms rated retention of existing employees somewhat challenging in 2025.[19]
  • 26% of U.S. accounting and finance professionals aged 18–38 intended to leave their employer within 12 months in the IMA retention study.[24]
  • Less than 1% of accounting and finance employees who changed jobs in an Illinois CPA Society survey left the profession in 2023.[25]
  • 44% of accounting and finance employees surveyed had stayed with their current employer for one to three years in 2023.[25]
  • 18% of accounting and finance employees surveyed had stayed with their current employer for seven years or longer in 2023.[25]

Remote Work in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • About 45% of U.S. professional and business-services workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[26]
  • 37.21% was the average share of paid workdays performed from home by U.S. professional and business-services employees in January 2025.[27]
  • 62.8% of U.S. professional and business-services employees who could work at home did so during 2024–2025, while 66.0% could work at home.[28]
  • 54% of U.S. professional-services firms reported having at least one paid work-from-home employee in November 2024–January 2025.[29]

Hybrid Work in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 27% of U.S. full-time employees worked in a hybrid arrangement in 2025, compared with 12% fully remote and 61% fully on-site.[30]
  • Across U.S. professional and business services, 22% of full-time employees worked fully from home during January–April 2025.[31]
  • Across U.S. professional and business services, 38% of full-time employees worked hybrid schedules during January–April 2025.[31]
  • 54% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs worked in a hybrid arrangement in November 2025.[32]
  • Across U.S. professional and business services, 39% of full-time employees worked fully onsite during January–April 2025.[31]

Upskilling in the accounting industry

  • 72% of finance professionals reported only basic or no generative-AI skills in an ACCA and CA ANZ survey in 2026.[33]
  • 65% of surveyed chartered accountants expected professional bodies to provide training on AI and its applications in 2025.[34]
  • 41% of finance professionals said they were seeking generative-AI training and upskilling in their own time in 2026.[33]
  • 61% of finance and accounting leaders said on-the-job training was effective for technology upskilling in 2025.[23]
  • 72% of respondents from the largest accounting firms reported access to AI-upskilling opportunities in 2026.[33]

Employee Engagement in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 33% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2023, while 16% were actively disengaged.[32]
  • 32% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2025, while 17% were actively disengaged.[32]
  • 32% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2024, while 17% were actively disengaged.[32]
  • 34% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2022, while 16% were actively disengaged.[32]

DEI in the accounting industry

  • 58% of female accounting professionals globally viewed the profession as equitable in the cited survey.[33]
  • 33% of female U.S. accounting professionals viewed the profession as equitable in the cited study.[35]
  • 59% of female accounting professionals globally viewed the profession as inclusive in the cited survey.[33]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Firms track client retention and response time: 62% tracked client retention rates in 2025 and 58% tracked response time as a client-management metric.

Customer experience in the accounting industry

  • 96% of accounting-firm respondents said technology proficiency had a positive impact on client relationships in 2025.[36]
  • 76% of accounting-firm clients said their firm always delivered within the promised timeframe in 2023.[37]
  • 47% of accounting-firm respondents reported that technology proficiency had a small positive impact on client relationships in 2025.[36]
  • 68% of accounting-firm clients said their firm’s services were always good value for the cost in 2023.[37]
  • 69% of accounting-firm clients said their firm always had a thorough understanding of their needs in 2023.[37]

Customer retention in the accounting industry

  • 62% of accounting firms reported tracking client retention rates in 2025.[38]
  • 20% of accounting firms reported tracking the number of client touchpoints in 2025.[38]
  • 18% of accounting firms reported tracking client satisfaction scores in 2025.[38]
  • 58% of accounting firms reported tracking response time as a client-management metric in 2025.[38]
  • 71% of accounting-firm respondents said seamless technology-enabled client interactions were important for client retention in 2025.[36]

Customer acquisition in the accounting industry

  • 76% of accounting-firm buyers trusted online profiles of professionals at the company in 2023.[37]
  • 60% of top-performing accounting firms identified external referrals as a lead source for CAS services in the CPA.com survey.[36]
  • 79% of top-performing accounting firms identified existing tax clients as a lead source for CAS services in the CPA.com survey.[36]
  • 88% of accounting-firm buyers trusted referrals from friends or colleagues when considering an accounting firm in 2023.[37]
  • 76% of accounting-firm buyers trusted professionals’ affiliations with respected trade associations in 2023.[37]

Customer loyalty in the accounting industry

  • 5% of accounting-firm clients reported strong commitment to the firm but not their primary contact in 2023.[37]
  • 41% was the accounting-client Net Promoter Score in 2023.[37]
  • 51% of accounting-firm clients were open to exploring other options in 2023.[37]
  • 94% of investment and fund accounting software vendors reported average client tenure above five years in 2019.[39]
  • 49% of accounting-firm clients were fully committed to their primary accounting firm in 2023.[37]

Lead generation in the accounting industry

  • 38% of all accounting-firm respondents identified existing clients as a CAS lead source.[36]
  • 19% of all accounting-firm respondents identified their website as a CAS lead source.[36]
  • 8% of all accounting-firm respondents identified thought leadership as a CAS lead source.[36]
  • 67% of all accounting-firm respondents identified existing tax clients as a CAS lead source.[36]
  • 13% of all accounting-firm respondents identified existing audit clients as a CAS lead source.[36]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing performance tracking remains limited: 33.6% of accounting and financial-services firms were highly satisfied with accurately tracking marketing and business-development performance in 2021.

Marketing in the accounting industry

  • 64% of accounting and financial-services firms said business development and sales had become more difficult because of COVID-19 in 2021.[40]
  • 35% of accounting and financial-services firms identified new-business development as a major pandemic-related challenge in 2021.[40]
  • 33.6% of accounting and financial-services firms were highly satisfied with their ability to accurately track marketing and business-development performance in 2021.[40]
  • 15.5% was the average share of revenue spent on marketing by high-growth accounting and financial-services firms during the COVID-19 pandemic.[40]
  • 29.4% of accounting and financial-services firms identified talent acquisition as a major pandemic-related challenge in 2021.[40]

Digital marketing in the accounting industry

  • 16% of all accounting practices selected online advertising in the Agile Market Intelligence survey.[41]
  • 33% of high-growth accounting practices selected online advertising in the Agile Market Intelligence survey.[41]
  • 12% of all accounting practices selected content marketing in the Agile Market Intelligence survey.[41]
  • 78% of high-growth accounting practices selected website or SEO marketing in the Agile Market Intelligence survey.[41]
  • 28% of high-growth accounting practices selected content marketing in the Agile Market Intelligence survey.[41]

Branding in the accounting industry

  • 76% of accounting-firm buyers trusted a firm’s affiliation with a respected trade association in 2023.[37]
  • 68% of accounting-firm buyers trusted the company website or client reviews in 2023.[37]
  • 5% of accounting-firm clients said their commitment was strong to the firm but not their primary contact in 2023.[37]
  • 73% of accounting-firm buyers trusted testimonials from clients in 2023.[37]
  • 27% of accounting-firm clients said their commitment was strong to their primary contact but not the accounting firm in 2023.[37]

Social media in the accounting industry

  • 21.4% of accounting and financial-services firms were highly satisfied with their CRM solution’s ability to meet marketing and business-development needs in 2021.[40]
  • 52.6% of high-maturity accounting and financial-services firms frequently used CRM for marketing and business-development strategy in 2021.[40]
  • 50% of high-growth accounting practices selected social media as a marketing channel in the Agile Market Intelligence survey.[41]
  • 44% of all accounting practices selected social media as a marketing channel in the Agile Market Intelligence survey.[41]
  • 8% of all accounting-firm respondents identified social media as a CAS lead source in the CPA.com survey.[36]

Influencer Marketing in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 44% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners say finding the right talent is their single biggest collaboration obstacle, based on Q1 2026 research.[42]
  • 78% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners identify brand awareness and lead generation as their joint top challenges, based on Q1 2026 research.[42]
  • 86% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners and creators prefer co-creating content with brands rather than amplifying finished brand content, based on Q1 2026 research.[42]
  • 74% of B2B influencers use artificial-intelligence tools to enhance content creation, based on Q1 2026 research.[42]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Automation coverage is rising but manual work persists in transactional flows, with 60% of accounts-payable teams manually keying invoices into ERP or accounting software in 2024.

Process optimization in the accounting industry

  • 11% of tax, audit and accounting firms reported using no automation in 2026, down from 18% in 2025.[21]
  • Over 80% automation of tax preparation was reported by some accounting firms in CPA.com survey data cited in 2025.[21]
  • 73% of tax-firm generative-AI users engaged with the technology at least weekly in 2025.[21]
  • 50% of tax, audit and accounting professionals said spending too much time on low-value, low-margin work was a major profitability barrier in 2026.[19]
  • 60% of accounts-payable teams still manually key invoices into ERP or accounting software in 2024, down from 85% in 2023, according to a global AP survey.[43]

Operational efficiency in the accounting industry

  • $222,000 was the average revenue per full-time equivalent for accounting firms with more than $2 million in revenue in the 2026 benchmark.[44]
  • 84% of U.S. accounting firms reported increased profitability in 2025.[45]
  • $210,000 was the average revenue per full-time equivalent for comparable accounting firms in the 2025 benchmark.[44]
  • 86% of U.S. accounting firms reported revenue growth in 2025, according to a survey linking performance with technology maturity and operational discipline.[45]
  • 30% of large accounting practices’ technology spending exceeded the average technology spending of small firms by the cited comparison in 2025.[21]

Quality management in the accounting industry

  • 34% of audit engagements in the 2024 inspection sample of eight large firms included an internal-control-over-financial-reporting deficiency.[46]
  • 39% of audits inspected across all PCAOB-inspected firms had at least one Part I.A deficiency in 2024.[46]
  • 42.2% was the deficiency rate for non-top-100 firms with triennial PCAOB inspections during 2009–2023.[47]
  • 31.7% was the aggregate deficiency rate for global network firms subject to annual PCAOB inspection during 2009–2023.[47]
  • 32.4% was the aggregate deficiency rate for PCAOB-annually-inspected firms during 2009–2023, covering 6,993 inspections.[47]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 47.5% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad sourced administrative and management functions internationally during 2021–2023.[6]
  • 65% of U.S. CPA firms participating in the 2025 National MAP Survey that offshored used India, followed by 33% using the Philippines.[48]
  • 28.8% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad sourced information and communication technology services internationally during 2021–2023.[6]
  • 60% of EU business-services enterprises sourcing abroad were in the business-services sector, compared with 40% in industry and construction, during 2021–2023.[6]
  • 39% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad outsourced business functions to external providers during 2021–2023, while 72% used affiliated-group insourcing.[6]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Hourly pricing dominates in 2026: 78% of tax, audit and accounting firms primarily used hourly pricing.

Pricing strategy in the accounting industry

  • 30% of U.S. CPA firms used value billing in 2025, up five percentage points from 2022.[48]
  • 78% of tax, audit and accounting firms primarily used hourly pricing in 2026.[19]
  • $170 was the median net hourly billing rate for U.S. CPA firms in 2025, up 6.9% over two years.[48]
  • 29% of U.S. CPA firms used fixed pricing in 2025, up four percentage points from 2022.[48]
  • 61% of the highest-margin tax firms used value-based pricing in 2026, compared with 54% of the lowest-margin firms.[19]

Cost reduction in the accounting industry

  • 65% of tax, audit and accounting professionals cited greater use of technology as a common tactic for improving profitability in 2026.[19]
  • 50% of advisory-service respondents reported margins of only 20% to 24% in 2026, highlighting the cost and pricing pressure in higher-value work.[19]
  • 30% of large accounting practices’ average technology spending was cited as a multiple of small-firm spending in a 2025 accounting technology comparison.[21]
  • 50% of tax-firm professionals said they spend too much time on low-value, low-margin work in 2026.[19]
  • 60% of accounts-payable teams manually keyed invoices in 2024, indicating a remaining labor-intensive cost area despite improvement from 2023.[43]

Profitability in the accounting industry

  • 28% was the profit margin for individual tax-return preparation in 2026.[19]
  • 55% was the median CAS margin for top-performing firms in the 2024 benchmark survey.[36]
  • 30% was the average profit margin for tax, audit and accounting firms worldwide in 2025.[19]
  • 50% was the median CAS margin before partner salaries or draws in the 2024 CPA.com and AICPA PCPS survey.[36]
  • $1,606,409 was the median annual CAS revenue reported by all respondents in the 2024 benchmark survey.[36]

Financial planning in the accounting industry

  • 65% of tax, audit and accounting professionals cited greater technology use as a profitability tactic in 2026, supporting expansion of advisory and planning services.[19]
  • 20% to 24% was the margin range for financial-planning and related advisory services at tax, audit and accounting firms in 2026.[19]
  • 74% of tax, audit and accounting professionals said clients strongly want additional financial advice in 2026.[19]
  • 85% of U.S. accounting and bookkeeping practices offered client advisory services in 2025, including financial and business advice.[49]
  • 56% of U.S. accounting and bookkeeping practices added clients in 2025 because of operational efficiency and expanded service offerings.[49]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

AI workflow rules are emerging: 66% of tax and accounting professionals using AI said formal guidelines required notices to clients about how their firms used AI in 2024.

Product development in the accounting industry

  • 35% of tax and accounting professionals said their firms planned to invest in generative AI or other AI-powered technology within two years, in 2024.[19]
  • 97% of accounting firms believed they used technology inefficiently and needed additional training to maximize return on investment, in 2025.[36]
  • 60% of accounting firms expected to increase technology spending in 2025, according to a 2024 survey of firms.[50]
  • 31% of tax and accounting firms cited advanced technical-skill development as a top staffing challenge in 2025.[45]
  • 47% of tax and accounting firms were interested in leveraging new technology solutions, globally, in 2024.[19]

Product lifecycle in the accounting industry

  • 62% of accounting firms used cloud technology in 2024, and firms with high integration reported 78% revenue growth.[45]
  • 55% of tax and accounting firms had a person formally responsible for leading technology strategy, globally, in 2024.[19]
  • 63% of tax and accounting professionals said generative AI was already part of their workflow or would become so within three years, globally, in 2024.[19]
  • 37% of tax and accounting firms said they were very satisfied with their overall technology stack, globally, in 2024.[19]
  • 88% of tax and accounting firms said technology was a significant or integral part of overall strategy, globally, in 2024.[19]

After-sales in the accounting industry

  • 97.8% of PKF O’Connor Davies clients said they were satisfied with their service team, in the firm’s 2026 client survey.[51]
  • 38% was the 2024 Net Promoter Score for the accounting industry, based on client likelihood to recommend their accounting firm.[52]
  • 71% of accounting-firm respondents said seamless technology interactions were crucial for client retention, in 2025.[36]
  • Nearly 70% of accounting firms reported problems collecting client documents on time, causing workflow delays and client frustration, in 2024.[53]
  • 90.1% of PKF O’Connor Davies clients said they could rely on the firm to provide sound advice and superior thought leadership, in 2026.[51]

Value proposition in the accounting industry

  • 81.8% was PKF O’Connor Davies’ client Net Promoter Score in 2026, compared with a 55% accounting-industry average cited by the firm.[51]
  • 25% was the average profit increase recorded by tax, audit and accounting firms worldwide in 2024.[19]
  • 21.3% was the average revenue gain recorded by tax, audit and accounting firms worldwide in 2024.[19]
  • Over half of accounting-firm respondents said technology-enhanced responsiveness, communication and accuracy directly attracted new business, in 2025.[36]
  • 66% of tax and accounting professionals using AI said formal guidelines required notices to clients about how their firms used AI, in 2024.[4]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability reporting is heavily standardized for disclosure frameworks, with 73% of U.S. sustainability reports published in 2024 including the GRI framework.

Sustainability in the accounting industry

  • 30% of large global companies used a standalone sustainability report in 2022.[54]
  • 51% of large global companies obtained sustainability assurance in 2019.[54]
  • 98% of large global companies reported sustainability information in 2023 across 22 jurisdictions.[54]
  • 58% of sustainability-assurance engagements were handled by accountancy firms in 2022.[54]
  • 69% of large global companies obtained assurance on at least some sustainability disclosures in 2022.[54]

ESG in the accounting industry

  • 32% of externally assured U.S. sustainability reports in 2024 assured both environmental and social data.[55]
  • 73% of U.S. sustainability reports published in 2024 included the GRI framework.[55]
  • 94% of U.S. sustainability reports published in 2024 included the SASB framework.[55]
  • 62% of U.S. sustainability reports obtained external assurance on at least one ESG data point in 2024.[55]
  • 64% of externally assured U.S. sustainability reports in 2024 assured environmental data only.[55]

Ethics in the accounting industry

  • 236 AICPA disciplinary cases were being monitored for continuing-professional-education completion and follow-up review at December 31, 2021.[56]
  • 94 completed AICPA disciplinary cases required corrective action in 2021.[56]
  • 389 ethics cases were opened by the AICPA and participating state CPA societies in 2021.[56]
  • 629 ethics cases remained open at the end of 2021 in the AICPA disciplinary system.[56]
  • 482 ethics cases were completed by the AICPA and participating state CPA societies in 2021.[56]

Carbon footprint in the accounting industry

  • 55,200 MWh of renewable-energy certificates were retired by KPMG U.S. in FY2024.[1]
  • 51,701 MWh of electricity was consumed by KPMG U.S. in FY2024.[1]
  • 832,000 metric tons of market-based total emissions were reported by EY globally in FY2024.[57]
  • 88% of EY’s office electricity energy was procured from renewable sources globally in FY2024.[57]
  • 6,000 metric tons of carbon offsets were retired by KPMG U.S. in FY2024.[1]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Global network scale remains a differentiator, such as PwC’s global network revenue of US$60.2 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026.

Globalization in the accounting industry

  • More than 470,000 people worked across Deloitte globally in fiscal 2025.[67]
  • 82% of Fortune Global 500 companies were PwC clients in fiscal 2025.[7]
  • US$60.2 billion was PwC’s global network revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026, up 5.7% in U.S. dollars.[7]
  • 364,782 people were employed across the PwC global network on June 30, 2025.[7]
  • US$26.8 billion was PwC’s Americas revenue in fiscal 2026, representing 4.6% growth.[7]

Cultural adaptation in the accounting industry

  • More than 10,000 accountancy and finance professionals contributed to ACCA’s 2025 global talent survey.[33]
  • 175 countries were represented in ACCA’s 2025 Global Talent Trends survey of accountancy and finance professionals.[33]
  • 198,000 active PwC employees had completed sustainability upskilling by fiscal 2024.[7]
  • 50,000 active PwC employees had undertaken Inclusive Mindset training by fiscal 2024.[7]

Supplier management in the accounting industry

  • 19,140 tonnes of Sustainable Aviation Fuel certificates were purchased by Deloitte in fiscal 2025.[67]
  • 32% of Deloitte suppliers had science-based targets in fiscal 2025.[67]

Stakeholder management in the accounting industry

  • 82% of Fortune Global 500 companies were served by PwC in fiscal 2025.[7]
  • 101 million lives were reached through Deloitte’s WorldClass societal initiatives from fiscal 2018 through fiscal 2025.[67]
  • US$434 million was Deloitte’s societal investment from fiscal 2018 through fiscal 2025.[67]
  • 175,004 clients were served by the PwC global network in fiscal 2025.[7]

Distribution channels in the accounting industry

  • 98% of respondents to Intuit’s 2024 Accountant Technology Survey had used artificial intelligence for firm operations during the prior 12 months.[4]
  • 83% of accounting professionals were working remotely in Karbon’s international survey, up from 40% before the comparison period.[68]
  • 49.3% of accounting firms identified themselves as fully remote in Financial Cents’ 2024 survey.[69]

16 Statistics

Regional markets

Regional concentration is visible in Japan’s audit market: 56.3% of 20,927 audit engagements were handled by large-sized audit firms in fiscal 2023.

The accounting industry in Japan

  • 56.3% of 20,927 audit engagements in Japan were handled by large-sized audit firms in fiscal 2023.[70]
  • 70% of Japan’s CPAs were based in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama or Chiba in March 2024.[70]
  • 78.4% of Japan’s ¥407.9 billion audit-service revenue came from large-sized audit firms in fiscal 2023.[70]
  • 287 audit firms operated in Japan in fiscal 2023, with large-sized firms representing 1.4% of the total.[70]
  • 35,532 registered CPAs were recorded in Japan in March 2024.[70]

The accounting industry in Australia

  • A$27.1 billion was the annual revenue of Australia’s accounting sector in 2023.[71]
  • 159,000 people were employed across Australia’s accounting sector in 2023.[71]
  • 20.5% of Australia’s accounting-sector market share was held by PwC, EY, Deloitte and KPMG combined in 2023.[71]
  • A$82.4 billion was the accounting profession’s estimated contribution to Australia’s GDP in 2024–25, supporting more than 365,000 jobs.[72]
  • 36,903 businesses operated in Australia’s accounting sector in 2023.[71]

Key questions about the Accounting Industry

What is the size of the U.S. accounting services industry in 2025?
The U.S. accounting services industry generated $118.8 billion in 2025, up from $115.5 billion in the comparable prior-year period.
How fast is the accountant workforce expected to grow?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects accountant and auditor employment to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034.
Which companies lead the accounting industry?
EY leads Gitnux's 2026 accounting ranking with an Overall score of 9.0, with over 150 countries covered for assurance, tax, consulting and strategy and transactions. Deloitte is the runner-up at 8.7, driven by services in the audit and assurance, tax, legal, consulting and advisory mix worldwide.
What technology shifts are most visible in accounting workflows?
Automation is widespread: 95% of surveyed accounting firms reported adopting automation technology in the year covered by the 2025 technology survey, while 59% of chief-accounting-officer direct reports said generative AI reduced routine-task workload in 2025.
How fragmented is the market, and what does consolidation look like?
The market remains fragmented across local and regional practices as consolidation increases, with 194 accounting-services M&A deals in 2025 and a 26% increase versus 2024.
How is digital tax filing changing competitive dynamics?
Digital tax filing is near-saturated for individuals: 93.7% of individual income-tax returns were filed electronically in IRS fiscal year 2025, shaping competition across CPA firms, tax-preparation providers, payroll platforms and software-enabled bookkeeping services.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Accounting Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/accounting-industry-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Accounting Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/accounting-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Accounting Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/accounting-industry-statistics.

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