Accountants and Auditors

What Accountants and Auditors Do

Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Install or advise on systems of recording costs or other financial and budgetary data.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

4.6%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Economics and Accountingimportance 4.7/5
• English Languageimportance 4.0/5
• Mathematicsimportance 3.9/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.5/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.5/5
• Law and Governmentimportance 3.3/5
• Administrativeimportance 3.1/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• E-Mail5.0/5
• Telephone Conversations4.8/5
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.7/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.6/5
• Contact With Others4.5/5

Related Careers

• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
• Financial Examiners
• Financial Managers
• Tax Preparers
• Budget Analysts
• Credit Analysts
• Personal Financial Advisors
• Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Financial Managers98% skill match
• Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents98% skill match
• Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators98% skill match
• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants97% skill match
• Dermatologists97% skill match
• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks97% skill match
• Human Resources Specialists96% skill match
• Anthropologists and Archeologists96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.5/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.3/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.0/5
• Negotiationimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Attention to Detail
• Integrity
• Dependability
• Cautiousness
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Achievement Orientation
• Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• ConventionalHigh
• EnterprisingMedium
• InvestigativeMedium
• SocialLow
• RealisticLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where accountants and auditors make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Springfield, IL1.70× national avg
2. 2Parkersburg-Vienna, WV1.64× national avg
3. 3Montgomery, AL1.64× national avg
4. 4Birmingham, AL1.61× national avg
5. 5San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR1.59× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Financial ManagersCareer Change
• Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue AgentsLateral Move
• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing ClerksCareer Change
• Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales AgentsCareer Change

See the full career path from Accountants and Auditors →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.