Accounting and Finance Contract Bill Rates by Metro (2026): Accountant, Controller and Financial Analyst Rates in 23 U.S. Metros
Junior, mid and senior bill rates for contract accountants, controllers and financial analysts in 23 metros, with each city’s premium over national.
Index version 2026-Q4, effective October 16, 2026. Jump to the metro table
What does a contract accountant cost per hour in each U.S. metro in 2026?
A mid-level contract accountant bills $59 to $75 an hour nationally, a $65 median, running from a $61 median in Nashville to $88 in the San Francisco Bay Area, per the KORE1 Contract Rate Index 2026-Q4.
Last updated: November 9, 2026
Controllers and analysts sit higher on the same curve. A mid-level contract controller bills $112 to $148 an hour nationally, median $127, and a mid-level financial analyst bills $72 to $94, median $82. Those are October 16, 2026 figures.
This page is the metro-first cut of the index. Twenty-three cities and the national market share one table, three finance roles across it at three levels each, so a CFO with a close team in Denver and an FP&A group in Charlotte can price both seats from one screen. Same index. Same 24% burden. Same date.
One role in depth has its own page, with contract accountant bill rates, contract controller and accounting manager rates, and FP&A and financial analyst rates. Every role in the index is on all contract staffing rates.
KORE1 has placed W2 contractors through its contract staffing desk since 2005, and close, audit and planning seats run through our accounting and finance staffing practice. Robert Ardell at KORE1 describes the index in two parts. Public wage data sets the market. Our own contractor billing sits beside it as a check.
What Do Accounting and Finance Contractors Bill in Each Metro?
Twenty-three metros and the national market, sorted from the highest mid-level accountant median to the lowest. Each cell is the median hourly bill rate over its 25th to 75th percentile range. Metro names link to the KORE1 accounting staffing page for that city.
On a phone, swipe the table sideways for the controller and analyst columns. The metro column stays put.
| Metro | Accountant | Controller | Financial analyst | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | Mid | Senior | Junior | Mid | Senior | Junior | Mid | Senior | |
| San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $70$65-$79 | $88$79-$101 | $112$99-$121 | $127$117-$146 | $161$143-$198 | $245$206-$264 | $77$71-$90 | $104$90-$118 | $128$114-$138 |
| New York, NY | $65$60-$74 | $84$75-$96 | $109$96-$118 | $130$120-$150 | $166$147-$206 | $255$213-$275 | $82$75-$92 | $102$92-$121 | $134$116-$144 |
| Washington, DC | $62$57-$71 | $81$72-$93 | $106$93-$114 | $121$111-$132 | $141$131-$157 | $170$154-$183 | $68$63-$77 | $86$77-$99 | $111$97-$119 |
| Boston, MA | $62$57-$70 | $79$71-$91 | $103$91-$111 | $127$116-$144 | $156$139-$187 | $227$195-$245 | $73$67-$83 | $93$83-$112 | $126$108-$136 |
| Denver, CO | $61$56-$69 | $79$71-$92 | $104$92-$112 | $121$111-$135 | $148$134-$169 | $186$165-$201 | $65$60-$73 | $83$74-$94 | $105$94-$113 |
| Seattle, WA | $63$58-$70 | $79$72-$90 | $101$90-$109 | $116$107-$130 | $142$128-$158 | $170$154-$184 | $78$72-$89 | $99$89-$113 | $124$110-$134 |
| San Diego, CA | $60$55-$67 | $76$69-$88 | $99$88-$107 | $106$98-$122 | $133$118-$156 | $176$153-$190 | $63$58-$73 | $84$74-$94 | $105$94-$113 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $57$52-$65 | $75$67-$86 | $97$86-$105 | $108$99-$124 | $134$119-$163 | $195$166-$211 | $65$60-$72 | $81$73-$94 | $106$94-$115 |
| Orange County, CA | $57$52-$65 | $75$67-$86 | $97$86-$105 | $108$99-$124 | $134$119-$163 | $195$166-$211 | $65$60-$72 | $81$73-$94 | $106$94-$115 |
| Charlotte, NC | $56$51-$64 | $74$66-$88 | $102$88-$111 | $109$100-$123 | $132$119-$155 | $174$151-$188 | $65$60-$74 | $84$75-$96 | $108$96-$117 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | $57$52-$62 | $68$63-$78 | $87$78-$94 | $104$96-$118 | $127$114-$146 | $160$142-$173 | $61$57-$71 | $82$72-$92 | $102$92-$110 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $56$52-$61 | $68$63-$78 | $88$78-$95 | $104$95-$118 | $127$114-$147 | $163$144-$176 | $61$56-$67 | $76$69-$90 | $104$90-$112 |
| Atlanta, GA | $53$49-$60 | $67$60-$79 | $92$80-$99 | $105$97-$121 | $131$116-$149 | $165$147-$179 | $62$57-$70 | $80$72-$92 | $104$92-$112 |
| Houston, TX | $56$51-$61 | $66$61-$76 | $87$77-$94 | $103$95-$118 | $127$114-$147 | $163$144-$176 | $62$57-$71 | $81$72-$92 | $103$92-$111 |
| United Statesnational datum | $52$48-$59 | $65$59-$75 | $87$77-$94 | $100$92-$116 | $127$112-$148 | $165$145-$178 | $62$57-$71 | $82$72-$94 | $106$94-$114 |
| Austin, TX | $53$49-$59 | $65$59-$73 | $82$74-$89 | $103$95-$118 | $128$114-$147 | $164$145-$177 | $62$57-$71 | $81$72-$93 | $105$93-$113 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | $55$50-$59 | $65$60-$73 | $83$74-$89 | $105$97-$120 | $129$115-$148 | $164$146-$177 | $61$56-$69 | $80$71-$91 | $102$91-$110 |
| Chicago, IL | $56$51-$59 | $64$61-$73 | $82$74-$88 | $104$96-$119 | $129$115-$148 | $165$146-$179 | $62$57-$70 | $81$72-$92 | $103$92-$111 |
| Raleigh-Durham, NC | $52$48-$58 | $64$58-$73 | $83$74-$90 | $104$96-$117 | $125$113-$146 | $161$141-$174 | $59$54-$68 | $79$69-$89 | $99$89-$107 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $50$46-$57 | $64$57-$74 | $86$75-$92 | $100$92-$113 | $122$109-$141 | $158$140-$171 | $53$49-$62 | $72$63-$83 | $95$83-$102 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $50$46-$56 | $63$56-$72 | $83$73-$89 | $89$82-$105 | $117$102-$139 | $155$134-$168 | $49$45-$58 | $68$59-$78 | $88$78-$95 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $52$47-$57 | $63$57-$73 | $84$74-$91 | $87$80-$101 | $113$99-$132 | $147$129-$159 | $59$54-$66 | $75$68-$86 | $97$86-$105 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $52$48-$57 | $62$57-$71 | $82$73-$88 | $90$83-$107 | $120$104-$137 | $153$136-$166 | $61$56-$68 | $77$69-$86 | $96$86-$103 |
| Nashville, TN | $50$46-$55 | $61$56-$68 | $77$70-$83 | $98$90-$111 | $121$108-$142 | $157$137-$170 | $61$56-$68 | $77$70-$79flagged | $80$79-$87flagged |
Audit, SOX and internal controls consultants price on the accountant columns. All 72 audit and SOX cells in the index match the accountant cell for the same metro and level, because both map to one federal occupation, accountants and auditors (SOC 13-2011). Controller cells map to financial managers (SOC 11-3031) and analyst cells to financial analysts (SOC 13-2051).
Every cell is modeled from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025, the 25th percentile wage for junior, the median for mid and the 75th percentile for senior, plus a 24% employer burden and the bill bands KORE1 sees on its own placements. Read how the index is built. Flagged cells carry a mark and are explained further down.
Pricing one seat?
Send the role, the level, the metro, a start date and the number of weeks. We’ll come back with a bill rate range for that req and what sits inside it.
Get a bill rate for your metroWhich Metros Carry the Largest Premium Over the National Finance Rate?
A location factor is a metro’s mid-level median divided by the national one. Multiply a national rate by the factor and you get the metro rate. The national datum is 1.000, and every line above it costs more.
Accountant, mid-level
Factor, then premium over the national median
- San Francisco Bay Area1.354+35.4%
- New York1.292+29.2%
- Washington1.246+24.6%
- Boston1.215+21.5%
- Denver1.215+21.5%
- Seattle1.215+21.5%
- San Diego1.169+16.9%
- Los Angeles1.154+15.4%
- Orange County1.154+15.4%
- Charlotte1.138+13.8%
- Minneapolis-St. Paul1.046+4.6%
- Philadelphia1.046+4.6%
- Atlanta1.031+3.1%
- Houston1.015+1.5%
- National datum, $651.0000.0%
- Austin1.0000.0%
- Dallas-Fort Worth1.0000.0%
- Chicago0.985−1.5%
- Raleigh-Durham0.985−1.5%
- Salt Lake City0.985−1.5%
- Cincinnati0.969−3.1%
- Phoenix0.969−3.1%
- Milwaukee0.954−4.6%
- Nashville0.938−6.2%
Controller, mid-level
Factor, then premium over the national median
- New York1.307+30.7%
- San Francisco Bay Area1.268+26.8%
- Boston1.228+22.8%
- Denver1.165+16.5%
- Seattle1.118+11.8%
- Washington1.110+11.0%
- Los Angeles1.055+5.5%
- Orange County1.055+5.5%
- San Diego1.047+4.7%
- Charlotte1.039+3.9%
- Atlanta1.031+3.1%
- Chicago1.016+1.6%
- Dallas-Fort Worth1.016+1.6%
- Austin1.008+0.8%
- National datum, $1271.0000.0%
- Houston1.0000.0%
- Minneapolis-St. Paul1.0000.0%
- Philadelphia1.0000.0%
- Raleigh-Durham0.984−1.6%
- Salt Lake City0.961−3.9%
- Nashville0.953−4.7%
- Milwaukee0.945−5.5%
- Cincinnati0.921−7.9%
- Phoenix0.890−11.0%
Financial analyst, mid-level
Factor, then premium over the national median
- San Francisco Bay Area1.268+26.8%
- New York1.244+24.4%
- Seattle1.207+20.7%
- Boston1.134+13.4%
- Washington1.049+4.9%
- Charlotte1.024+2.4%
- San Diego1.024+2.4%
- Denver1.012+1.2%
- National datum, $821.0000.0%
- Minneapolis-St. Paul1.0000.0%
- Austin0.988−1.2%
- Chicago0.988−1.2%
- Houston0.988−1.2%
- Los Angeles0.988−1.2%
- Orange County0.988−1.2%
- Atlanta0.976−2.4%
- Dallas-Fort Worth0.976−2.4%
- Raleigh-Durham0.963−3.7%
- Milwaukee0.939−6.1%
- Nashville flagged0.939−6.1%
- Philadelphia0.927−7.3%
- Phoenix0.915−8.5%
- Salt Lake City0.878−12.2%
- Cincinnati0.829−17.1%
San Francisco and New York lead every page. Below them the order breaks. Charlotte carries a 1.138 factor for accountants but only 1.024 for analysts, and Denver prices controllers at 1.165 while its analysts sit at 1.012, a hair over national.
Seattle runs the other way. Its analysts carry a 1.207 factor, higher than its controllers at 1.118. Same city, different market for each seat. Price the role you need in the place you need it, because a metro’s rank for one finance job tells you very little about the next one.
Why Do Senior Controller Rates Spread So Far Between Cities?
Controller cells follow financial managers, SOC 11-3031, and that federal wage series swings much harder by metro than staff accounting does. Senior level is where it shows.
New York and the Bay Area
A senior contract controller bills $213 to $275 an hour in New York, median $255, and $206 to $264 in the San Francisco Bay Area, median $245. Nationally the band is $145 to $178 with a $165 median, so New York runs 54.5% above it.
Phoenix at the floor
Phoenix bills $129 to $159, median $147. That’s the lowest senior controller median in the index, $108 an hour under New York.
Over one quarter
Three months of a senior controller at the median comes to about $132,500 in New York and $76,600 in Phoenix. Same seat. A $55,900 difference before anyone opens the trial balance.
Hiring a remote interim controller? Price the metro where that person lives, since it’s the market they’re weighing your offer against.
What Does a Three- or Six-Month Finance Contract Cost by Metro?
Mid-level medians at 40 hours a week. Three months is 520 hours and six months is 1,040, taken from the index cost fields and rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. Same metro order as the rate table.
| Metro | Accountant, mid | Controller, mid | Financial analyst, mid | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 months | 6 months | 3 months | 6 months | 3 months | 6 months | |
| San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $45,700 | $91,400 | $83,800 | $167,500 | $53,800 | $107,700 |
| New York, NY | $43,600 | $87,200 | $86,300 | $172,700 | $53,200 | $106,400 |
| Washington, DC | $42,100 | $84,300 | $73,600 | $147,100 | $44,700 | $89,400 |
| Boston, MA | $41,300 | $82,600 | $81,300 | $162,600 | $48,500 | $97,000 |
| Denver, CO | $41,300 | $82,500 | $76,800 | $153,600 | $43,100 | $86,200 |
| Seattle, WA | $41,000 | $82,000 | $73,700 | $147,400 | $51,500 | $103,000 |
| San Diego, CA | $39,700 | $79,500 | $69,200 | $138,400 | $43,700 | $87,500 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $38,900 | $77,800 | $69,600 | $139,200 | $42,200 | $84,400 |
| Orange County, CA | $38,900 | $77,800 | $69,600 | $139,200 | $42,200 | $84,400 |
| Charlotte, NC | $38,300 | $76,700 | $68,600 | $137,200 | $43,900 | $87,900 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | $35,600 | $71,100 | $66,200 | $132,500 | $42,600 | $85,300 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $35,400 | $70,700 | $66,300 | $132,600 | $39,300 | $78,700 |
| Atlanta, GA | $34,800 | $69,600 | $68,000 | $136,000 | $41,600 | $83,200 |
| Houston, TX | $34,500 | $69,000 | $66,300 | $132,500 | $41,900 | $83,900 |
| United Statesnational datum | $33,900 | $67,900 | $66,100 | $132,300 | $42,400 | $84,800 |
| Austin, TX | $33,800 | $67,700 | $66,400 | $132,800 | $41,900 | $83,800 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | $33,600 | $67,200 | $67,200 | $134,400 | $41,400 | $82,800 |
| Chicago, IL | $33,500 | $67,000 | $67,000 | $134,100 | $42,000 | $83,900 |
| Raleigh-Durham, NC | $33,200 | $66,500 | $65,300 | $130,500 | $40,900 | $81,800 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $33,300 | $66,600 | $63,500 | $127,000 | $37,500 | $74,900 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $32,600 | $65,300 | $61,100 | $122,200 | $35,400 | $70,700 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $32,700 | $65,400 | $58,900 | $117,900 | $39,100 | $78,100 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $32,500 | $64,900 | $62,400 | $124,900 | $39,900 | $79,800 |
| Nashville, TN | $31,600 | $63,200 | $62,700 | $125,500 | $40,200 | $80,400 |
Nationally, a quarter of a mid-level contract accountant runs about $33,900, six months about $67,900, and a quarter of a mid-level controller $66,100. Six months at full time is also 1,040 hours, the point where a KORE1 contractor can join your payroll with no conversion fee.
What Sits Inside a Finance Contractor’s Bill Rate?
Wages first. Then the cost of employing them. A bill rate is the hourly price of a W2 contractor through a staffing firm, and it carries pay, employer payroll taxes, workers’ comp, insurance, required sick leave and benefits, plus the firm’s recruiting, account management and margin.
Devin Hornick, a partner at KORE1, walks clients through it with round numbers. $100 an hour in wages plus a 24% burden is $124 an hour loaded before anyone earns a dollar, and the bill rate on that contractor lands around $150 to $160.
So read a quoted markup carefully. A small one can sit on top of a burden that’s billed separately, and the total ends up above an all-in rate that looked higher. Every cell on this page is all-in. Devin’s advice is to pick “a firm who’s willing to show you how they make their money and not hide anything.”
$255
median hourly bill rate for a senior contract controller in New York
1.354
location factor for a mid-level accountant in the San Francisco Bay Area
207
modeled metro cells, three finance roles at three levels in 23 metros
24%
employer burden modeled in every cell on this page
KORE1 Contract Rate Index 2026-Q4, effective October 16, 2026. Wages from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release, metro and national estimates.
How Does KORE1’s Own Placement Data Compare With the Modeled Cells?
One finance cell in the index is observed rather than modeled. It comes from 11 KORE1 W2 accountant placements that started between 2023 and 2026, primarily in Southern California, across every level.
| KORE1 observed cell | Placements | Range | Median | 3 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accountant, all levels | 11 | $42-$85 | $44 | $23,100 |
Its median sits near the bottom of its range and mixes every level from staff to senior, so we don’t compare it point for point with any single modeled cell.
Which Cells Did the Anomaly Check Flag?
Two, both in Nashville. The financial analyst mid band runs only $70 to $79 and the senior band $79 to $87, median $80, which leaves the senior median 24.5% under national while Nashville’s mid-level accountant and controller medians sit within 6.2% of national.
We print them with a flag instead of smoothing them over. They stay out of any premium average, and the January 2027 update rechecks the BLS estimate behind them. The other check found duplicates, not outliers, since the audit and SOX cells repeat the accountant cells and so appear once, as the note under the rate table.
Why Do Orange County and Los Angeles Show Identical Rates?
Because the federal data treats them as one market. BLS publishes a single Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area, and the index uses its wages for both rows, so a mid-level accountant bills $67 to $86, median $75, in each.
The two markets feel different on the ground. Commutes, industries, who’s hiring. See accounting staffing in Orange County or the Los Angeles accounting staffing page for how each one actually behaves.
Where Do You Go for One Role or One City?
This hub compares cities. The pages below go deep on a single role, and each metro row in the rate table links to the KORE1 accounting staffing page for that city. Milwaukee doesn’t have one yet.
Staff and senior
Accountant rates by level
Close, reconciliation and audit support seats, priced junior to senior with a metro table.
Close leadership
Controller rates by level
Interim controllers and accounting managers, the role with the widest metro spread here.
Planning
Analyst and FP&A rates
Budget, forecast and reporting seats, from junior financial analyst to senior FP&A.
Every role
The full rate index
All 22 roles in the index, help desk to controller, with observed and modeled cells labeled.
Common Questions
Which metro has the highest contract controller bill rate?
New York, at every level. A mid-level contract controller bills a median $166 an hour there and a senior one $255, against national medians of $127 and $165. The San Francisco Bay Area is second at $161 and $245.
How much more does a contract accountant cost in New York than the national rate?
About 29% more at mid level. The New York median is $84 an hour against $65 nationally, $19 more per hour, which adds roughly $9,700 to a three-month contract at 40 hours a week. Senior accountants run $109 in New York and $87 nationally.
Do SOX and audit consultants bill the same as contract accountants?
In this index, yes. Audit and SOX cells match the accountant cells in all 23 metros and at every level, because both draw on the same federal occupation, accountants and auditors. Price a SOX tester off the accountant columns, and a SOX lead off the senior one.
Why are the Orange County and Los Angeles rates the same?
They share one federal wage area. BLS reports a single Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro, so both rows use the same wages and every cell matches, $67 to $86 with a $75 median for a mid-level accountant.
What does a mid-level contract financial analyst cost per hour in Seattle versus Phoenix?
$99 an hour in Seattle and $75 in Phoenix, at the median. Seattle’s band runs $89 to $113 and Phoenix’s $68 to $86. Over a three-month contract the gap is about $12,400.
How often do these finance rates get updated?
Every quarter. Version 2026-Q4 took effect October 16, 2026, and the January 2027 update folds in new KORE1 placements and the latest BLS release, rechecks the flagged Nashville cells, and moves every cell to the new effective date.
Staffing a Finance Team Across Several Metros?
Tell us where the seats are, which roles and when they start. We’ll price each one against its own metro and tell you who’s available.
Talk to KORE1 about your finance team