40h normalized salary comparison

Accountant Salary in Houston

Average Accountant salary in Houston on a 40h basis 91,682 $ 7,640 $ gross/month · 44.08 $ gross/hour
Full-time salary range/year 41,053 $ – 155,556 $
Full-time salary range/month 3,421 $ – 12,963 $
Based on 37 salary reports

The average salary for a Accountant in Houston is 91,682 $ per year on a 40-hour full-time equivalent, or 7,640 $ gross per month and 44.08 $ gross per hour. The reported full-time salary range is 41,053 $ to 155,556 $. The analysis is based on 37 salary reports from workers and employers in Houston. Part-time salaries are proportionally converted to 40 weekly hours so the values are comparable.

Reports 37
Minimum 40h 41,053 $
Avg. gross/year 40h 91,682 $
Avg. Gross/month 40h 7,640 $
Avg. gross/hour 40h 44.08 $
Maximum 40h 155,556 $

Minimum, average and maximum values on a 40h basis

Trend over time on a 40h basis

Individual reported salaries

Date Job title Weekly hours Reported gross/year Normalized to 40h/year Gross/month 40h Gross/hour 40h Note
03/03/2026 Corporate Controller 45.0 h 175,000 $ 155,556 $ 12,963 $ 74.79 $ I lead corporate accounting for a publicly traded company with over fifteen years of experience. As the controller I work long hours to ensure timely and accurate reporting.
05/10/2025 Accounting Director 44.0 h 155,000 $ 140,909 $ 11,742 $ 67.74 $ I serve as accounting director for a national services group. This leadership role demands longer hours and I oversee multiple teams and financial controls.
02/07/2025 Senior Accounting Consultant (Contract) 36.0 h 98,000 $ 108,889 $ 9,074 $ 52.35 $ I'm a contracted senior accountant consulting with mid-sized clients on ERP implementations. I typically bill 36 hours/week and have ten years of consulting experience.
10/22/2024 Controller (Tech Startup) 42.0 h 140,000 $ 133,333 $ 11,111 $ 64.10 $ I am the controller at a VC-backed tech startup. I handle finance operations and investor reporting, and work extended hours typical for management in a fast-paced environment.
06/12/2024 Controller (Large Corporation) 45.0 h 165,000 $ 146,667 $ 12,222 $ 70.51 $ I serve as controller for a national division of a large corporation. It's a high-responsibility leadership role and I regularly work extended hours to meet reporting deadlines.
01/18/2024 Finance Business Partner 40.0 h 132,000 $ 132,000 $ 11,000 $ 63.46 $ I am a finance business partner supporting commercial teams at a large industrial company. I'm full time with ten years of finance experience and handle strategic planning.
11/07/2023 Financial Reporting Manager 44.0 h 142,000 $ 129,091 $ 10,758 $ 62.06 $ I'm responsible for external reporting and SEC filings at a public company. This is a management role with significant oversight and longer hours.
08/06/2023 Private Practice CPA (Self-employed) 35.0 h 118,000 $ 134,857 $ 11,238 $ 64.84 $ I run my own small CPA practice providing tax and advisory services. I work roughly 35 hours/week as I'm an owner and balance client work with business administration.
04/28/2023 Tax Manager 45.0 h 135,000 $ 120,000 $ 10,000 $ 57.69 $ I lead the tax group at a national services firm. It's a management position with extended hours during filing season and I have twelve years of tax experience.
11/29/2022 Senior Tax Accountant (Energy) 40.0 h 125,000 $ 125,000 $ 10,417 $ 60.10 $ I work full time in a senior tax role at an energy company with nine years of experience and heavy involvement in state and federal tax planning.
09/15/2022 Assistant Controller 42.0 h 125,000 $ 119,048 $ 9,921 $ 57.23 $ I am the assistant controller at a growing mid-sized company. I have over ten years' experience and supervise payroll, AR/AP, and monthly close processes.
03/02/2022 Senior Financial Accountant 40.0 h 98,000 $ 98,000 $ 8,167 $ 47.12 $ I work full time at a large energy firm and have eight years in accounting focused on SEC reporting and complex consolidations.
01/19/2022 Senior Accountant (Oil & Gas) 40.0 h 98,000 $ 98,000 $ 8,167 $ 47.12 $ I work full time in accounting for an oil & gas services company with eight years in the industry. My role includes lease accounting and revenue recognition.
12/20/2021 Controller (Small Business) 44.0 h 110,000 $ 100,000 $ 8,333 $ 48.08 $ I oversee all finance functions at a small privately owned business. As the controller I handle everything from financial statements to payroll and work longer-than-average management hours.
11/04/2021 Senior Cost & Inventory Accountant 40.0 h 94,000 $ 94,000 $ 7,833 $ 45.19 $ I manage cost accounting and inventory controls for a large distribution company. I'm full time with eight years of relevant experience.
09/01/2021 Energy Sector Accountant 40.0 h 115,000 $ 115,000 $ 9,583 $ 55.29 $ I work full time for a mid-sized energy services company and focus on project accounting and joint venture reporting. I have nine years of industry experience.
06/09/2021 Accounting Manager 44.0 h 102,000 $ 92,727 $ 7,727 $ 44.58 $ I manage the accounting department for a regional logistics company. I'm in a leadership role and often put in extended hours during month and quarter ends.
02/14/2021 Senior Accounting Analyst 40.0 h 90,000 $ 90,000 $ 7,500 $ 43.27 $ I analyze financial performance and support budgeting at a regional retail firm. I have six years of accounting and analytics experience in a full-time role.
11/30/2020 Senior Cost Accountant 40.0 h 85,000 $ 85,000 $ 7,083 $ 40.87 $ I have seven years of experience in a large manufacturing company. I manage cost reporting and process improvements in a full-time capacity.
09/23/2020 Tax Consultant (Contract) 32.0 h 72,000 $ 90,000 $ 7,500 $ 43.27 $ I'm a contracted tax consultant working part time (32 hours/week) for multiple small clients, mainly handling corporate and partnership returns. I have seven years' experience.
05/11/2020 Junior Accountant (Part-time) 25.0 h 30,000 $ 48,000 $ 4,000 $ 23.08 $ I'm a part-time junior accountant working 25 hours/week at a local nonprofit while completing my degree. I do payroll and donor fund accounting.
04/14/2020 Tax Senior 40.0 h 79,000 $ 79,000 $ 6,583 $ 37.98 $ I am a tax senior at a mid-sized advisory firm with five years' experience. I lead client engagements during tax season and work full time year-round.
01/27/2020 Corporate Tax Specialist 40.0 h 92,000 $ 92,000 $ 7,667 $ 44.23 $ I work full time in the tax department of a large corporation. I have eight years of experience and handle tax compliance for several business units.
10/03/2019 Senior Accountant 40.0 h 73,000 $ 73,000 $ 6,083 $ 35.10 $ I've been a senior accountant at a local healthcare provider for six years, handling financial reporting and mentoring two junior accountants in a full-time position.
06/18/2019 Staff Accountant (Part-time) 30.0 h 34,000 $ 45,333 $ 3,778 $ 21.79 $ I work part time supporting accounts payable and payroll for a nonprofit. I have three years of experience and prefer the 30-hour schedule while finishing grad school.
03/08/2019 Payroll & Benefits Accountant 40.0 h 65,000 $ 65,000 $ 5,417 $ 31.25 $ I manage payroll and benefits administration at a medium-sized tech company. I'm full time with five years of payroll-specific experience.
02/27/2019 Accounting Supervisor 42.0 h 88,000 $ 83,810 $ 6,984 $ 40.29 $ I supervise a small accounting team at a regional construction firm. I'm in a management role and typically work longer hours to cover month-end and project reporting.
10/09/2018 Senior Audit Associate 40.0 h 78,000 $ 78,000 $ 6,500 $ 37.50 $ I work full time in external audit for a regional firm and have six years of audit experience, focusing on financial services clients.
08/03/2018 Freelance Accountant 25.0 h 54,000 $ 86,400 $ 7,200 $ 41.54 $ I'm self-employed doing bookkeeping and tax prep for small businesses. I work part time (about 25 hours/week) and have five years of experience as a contractor.
05/16/2018 Cost Accountant 40.0 h 61,000 $ 61,000 $ 5,083 $ 29.33 $ I have about four years of experience and work full time for a medium-sized oilfield supplier. I focus on inventory costing and job costing.
01/21/2018 Accounts Payable Lead 38.0 h 58,000 $ 61,053 $ 5,088 $ 29.35 $ I lead AP operations for a mid-sized healthcare company. I'm full time with supervisory duties and have four years of experience in accounts payable.
12/11/2017 Corporate Accountant 40.0 h 67,000 $ 67,000 $ 5,583 $ 32.21 $ I work full time at a consumer goods company with four years of experience handling consolidations and intercompany reconciliations.
08/22/2017 Staff Accountant 40.0 h 52,000 $ 52,000 $ 4,333 $ 25.00 $ I work full time in a mid-sized manufacturing company and have been here three years. I handle month-end close and fixed asset accounting.
05/05/2017 Bookkeeper / Office Accountant (Small Business) 38.0 h 39,000 $ 41,053 $ 3,421 $ 19.74 $ I handle bookkeeping, payroll, and A/R for a family-owned retail business. I'm full time but the role is more administrative than corporate accounting.
11/05/2016 Tax Accountant (Entry Level) 38.0 h 48,000 $ 50,526 $ 4,211 $ 24.29 $ I joined a small tax practice straight out of college and do tax prep and client support. This is a full-time role and I work slightly under standard hours.
09/30/2016 Bookkeeper (Part-time) 20.0 h 28,000 $ 56,000 $ 4,667 $ 26.92 $ I handle bookkeeping for a small boutique business on a part-time basis. I work 20 hours per week and have been in this role for two years.
03/12/2016 Junior Staff Accountant 40.0 h 45,000 $ 45,000 $ 3,750 $ 21.63 $ I'm an entry-level accountant with 1 year of experience at a small engineering firm. I do general ledger work, AP, and bank reconciliations in a full-time role.

Job Outlook for Accountants in Houston

Houston, Texas is a diversified economic hub where energy, healthcare, aerospace, logistics, and advanced manufacturing all intersect. For an Accountant in Houston, the city’s mix of Fortune 500 headquarters, global trading activity through the Port of Houston, and one of the world’s largest medical complexes typically translates into steady need for audit, tax, financial reporting, and internal control expertise. Employers often look for professionals who understand both traditional GAAP requirements and the nuances of industries that dominate the region.

Because Houston’s economy is closely tied to energy, hiring can ebb and flow with commodity cycles. Even so, the concentration of public companies, ongoing regulatory requirements, and frequent transactions generally support ongoing demand for accountants across public practice and corporate roles. Many teams value skills in SEC reporting, SOX compliance, revenue recognition, lease accounting, and joint-interest billing, as well as comfort with ERP platforms like SAP or Oracle and niche oil and gas systems.

Labor Market

The Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metro houses a high number of corporate finance departments, shared service centers, and regional headquarters, which often creates year-round hiring beyond the traditional busy season. Energy producers, oilfield services firms, and midstream operators typically seek accountants for consolidations, project accounting, derivative and hedge accounting, and technical policy work tied to extractive activities. Growth in LNG, petrochemicals along the Ship Channel, and energy transition initiatives (for example, carbon capture and renewables projects) can open new project accounting and advisory assignments.

Outside energy, Houston’s Texas Medical Center anchors steady needs in healthcare finance, grants management, and not-for-profit accounting. Port-driven logistics and manufacturing usually hire cost and inventory accountants, while aerospace and government contractors around NASA’s Johnson Space Center often recruit for project controls, compliance, and incurred-cost submissions. Across sectors, employers increasingly value data literacy—experience with SQL, Power BI, or audit analytics tools—alongside traditional accounting credentials.

Major Employers

Accountants in Houston are typically hired by a mix of public accounting firms, corporate headquarters, hospitals, government entities, and engineering firms. Examples include:

  • Energy and industrial: ConocoPhillips, Occidental, Marathon Oil, Phillips 66, Shell USA, BP America, ExxonMobil (Greater Houston area), Kinder Morgan, Enterprise Products Partners, Cheniere Energy, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, and SLB all maintain major operations and often staff corporate accounting, internal audit, tax, and FP&A teams.
  • Professional services: Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC, as well as BDO, RSM, Grant Thornton, Crowe, FORVIS, Moss Adams, Calvetti Ferguson, and MaloneBailey support extensive audit, tax, and advisory hiring for both entry-level and experienced accountants.
  • Healthcare and education: MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann, Baylor College of Medicine, and other Texas Medical Center institutions frequently employ accountants in financial reporting, cost accounting, research/grant accounting, and revenue cycle roles.
  • Aerospace and engineering: NASA’s Johnson Space Center and major contractors such as KBR and Jacobs often seek project accounting, compliance, and government cost specialists; emerging space companies like Axiom Space and Intuitive Machines also maintain growing finance functions.
  • Logistics, consumer, and other HQs: Sysco, Waste Management, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (Greater Houston), and large port-related operators typically hire for corporate accounting, internal audit, and shared services.
  • Public sector: City of Houston, Harris County, the Port of Houston Authority, Houston ISD, Houston Community College, and METRO generally employ governmental accountants, grants managers, and auditors.

Career Opportunities

In Houston, an accountant can pursue multiple paths. Public accounting offers exposure to energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and not-for-profits through audit and tax engagements, while advisory practices often handle IPO readiness, ESG reporting frameworks, process optimization, and system implementations. Corporate roles range from general ledger and consolidations to technical accounting, SEC reporting, and treasury support, with opportunities to rotate into FP&A or operations finance.

Industry-specific needs shape many roles. In oil and gas, joint-interest accounting, production revenue accounting, and knowledge of ASC topics related to extractive industries are advantageous. Along the Ship Channel, cost and inventory control skills are valuable for petrochemical and manufacturing employers. In healthcare, grant compliance and fund accounting expertise can help candidates stand out. For government and aerospace contractors, familiarity with internal controls, FAR/DFARS considerations, and project controls is often important.

Credentials such as the CPA remain highly regarded, and many Houston employers also value CMA, CIA, or CISA designations for finance, internal audit, and IT audit tracks. Given the city’s international ties, experience with multi-entity consolidations, intercompany transactions, and import/export compliance can be a plus. Hybrid work arrangements are common, but many roles still emphasize on-site collaboration during audits, closes, and project milestones. Overall, the breadth of Houston’s economy typically provides accountants with resilient demand, varied industry choices, and room to specialize or move laterally as interests evolve.

Frequently Asked Questions about Accountant in Houston

How much does a Accountant make in Houston?

The average salary for a Accountant in Houston is 91,682 $ per year on a 40-hour basis, or 7,640 $ gross per month.

Why are salaries converted to 40 hours?

Part-time and full-time reports are normalized to a 40-hour workweek so salary reports can be compared fairly.

Where can I find more salary comparisons for Accountant or Houston?

You can find more comparisons on the profession overview for Accountant and the city overview for Houston. They show reported cities or jobs with their difference from the average.