25+ Accounting Statistics: Firms, Talent Shortage & Automation (2026)

Accounting in 2026 looks nothing like the green-eyeshade caricature of a decade ago. The US accounting industry is a $160-billion services market growing faster than GDP, while the supply of new CPAs is collapsing at the same moment AI agents are eating the lower rungs of the ladder. Firms are racing to outsource bookkeeping to India, install AI-powered close software, bolt on ESG and climate disclosure practices, and hold onto staff who can read both a balance sheet and a Python script. The result is the most violent reshuffling the profession has seen since Sarbanes-Oxley.

Below are 25-plus statistics we could verify against primary sources for 2026, organized into seven themes: US firm market size, the CPA talent pipeline, AI and automation, accounting software market share, offshoring and outsourcing, ESG and sustainability accounting, and tax automation.

US Accounting Firm Market Size

1. The US accounting services industry generates roughly $160 billion in annual revenue.

IBISWorld pegs US accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services industry revenue at approximately $160 billion in 2025, with a low-single-digit 5-year CAGR. The industry has grown every year since 2010 except for a small dip in 2020. (IBISWorld)

2. More than 90,000 accounting firms operate in the United States.

The US Census County Business Patterns counts roughly 92,000 accounting establishments employing 1.1 million people. The market remains fragmented, with the Big Four capturing only about 18% of total industry revenue. (US Census CBP)

3. The Big Four together generated roughly $230 billion in global revenue in FY2024.

Deloitte led at $67.2 billion, PwC at $55.4 billion, EY at $51.2 billion, and KPMG at $38.4 billion. Advisory and consulting now exceed audit revenue at all four, a structural shift reshaping how the profession recruits. (Deloitte Global Report)

4. Accounting employment in the US is projected to grow 4% through 2032.

The BLS projects employment of accountants and auditors will grow 4% from 2022 to 2032, adding roughly 67,400 jobs. Median pay reached $79,880 in May 2023. (BLS Occupational Outlook)

5. Average partner billing rates at US firms reached $250 per hour in 2026.

Karbon's 2026 State of Accounting Practice Management report found average partner billing rates at $250 per hour, senior staff at $175, and bookkeepers at $95. Realization rates hover around 85%. (Karbon 2026)

The CPA Talent Pipeline Crisis

6. New US CPA exam candidates have dropped roughly 33% since 2016.

The AICPA Trends in the Supply of Accounting Graduates report shows new CPA exam candidates fell from a peak of more than 48,000 in 2016 to roughly 32,000 in the most recent reporting year, a 33% collapse in under a decade. (AICPA Trends Report)

7. Accounting bachelor's degree completions fell 7.8% in the most recent year.

The same AICPA Trends report found accounting bachelor's completions dropped 7.8% YoY, and master's completions fell 6.4%. The pipeline is shrinking at both ends. (AICPA Trends Report)

8. 75% of practicing CPAs are at or near retirement age.

AICPA workforce data widely cited by Accounting Today indicates roughly 75% of current CPAs are at or approaching retirement age, with an estimated 340,000 fewer accountants in the US workforce than five years ago. (Accounting Today)

9. More than 20 state boards are revising the 150-hour education requirement.

As of 2026, more than 20 state boards have passed or are considering legislation creating an alternative CPA pathway that replaces the 150-credit requirement with a bachelor's plus two years of supervised experience. (AICPA-NASBA)

10. Starting salaries for entry-level public accounting rose 7-12% in 2026.

Robert Half's 2026 Salary Guide shows starting salaries at public accounting firms rose 7-12% for entry-level audit and tax associates in 2026, the steepest increase in a decade as firms compete for a shrinking graduate pool. (Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide)

AI and Automation Inside the Profession

11. 78% of accounting firms have adopted or are piloting AI in 2026.

Thomson Reuters' 2026 State of the Tax Professionals report found 78% of accounting and tax firms have implemented or are actively piloting generative AI tools, up from just 30% in the 2024 survey. (Thomson Reuters 2026)

12. AI is projected to automate 38% of accountant tasks by 2030.

McKinsey Global Institute estimates 38% of tasks currently performed by accountants and auditors could be automated or significantly augmented by AI by 2030, the highest share for any professional services occupation. (McKinsey - Generative AI)

13. 65% of firms cite AI as their top technology priority for 2026.

Karbon's 2026 report found 65% of accounting firm leaders ranked AI and automation as their #1 technology investment priority for 2026, ahead of cybersecurity (54%) and client portals (41%). (Karbon 2026)

14. AI cuts month-end close time by 30-50% at firms that deploy it well.

A Gartner CFO survey found finance functions deploying AI for the month-end close report 30-50% close cycle reductions, with errors falling about 27%. Biggest wins are in journal entries, reconciliations, and variance analysis. (Gartner Finance AI)

15. 41% of accountants say AI has freed up time for higher-value advisory work.

Accounting Today's 2026 AI Adoption Survey found 41% of accountants report AI has freed up significant time for higher-margin advisory and CAS work, while 29% report taking on more clients without adding headcount. (Accounting Today AI Survey 2026)

Accounting Software Market Share

16. QuickBooks Online holds roughly 80% of the US small-business accounting software market.

Intuit disclosed in its FY2025 10-K that QuickBooks holds approximately 80% market share among US small businesses, with QuickBooks Online subscribers above 8 million globally. The Small Business segment generated $3.1 billion in Q1 FY2026 alone, up 21% YoY. (Intuit Q1 FY2026)

17. Xero reached 4.4 million subscribers globally in FY2025.

Xero's FY2025 annual report disclosed 4.4 million global subscribers and NZ$2.1 billion in annual revenue, growing roughly 22% YoY. Xero dominates Australia, NZ, and the UK but holds under 5% US share. (Xero FY2025 Annual Report)

18. NetSuite reached more than 41,000 customers globally in FY2025.

Oracle disclosed NetSuite's customer base surpassed 41,000 in FY2025, making it the dominant cloud ERP for mid-market companies with $50M-$1B in revenue. NetSuite revenue grew 18% YoY. (Oracle FY2025)

19. Sage Intacct grew 24% YoY in the US in FY2025.

Sage Group reported FY2025 revenue of £2.33 billion, up 9% organically, with Sage Intacct (its US cloud product) growing 24% YoY. The company serves 6 million+ customers globally and dominates UK SMB. (Sage FY2025 Results)

20. The global accounting software market will reach $20.4 billion by 2026.

Statista's 2026 forecast puts global accounting software revenue at $20.4 billion in 2026, growing at a 9.5% CAGR through 2030. North America accounts for roughly 41% of total revenue. (Statista Accounting Software)

Outsourcing and Offshoring

21. India's F&A outsourcing market will reach $8.6 billion by 2026.

Grand View Research projects India's finance and accounting BPO market to reach $8.6 billion by 2026 at a 9.1% CAGR. India captures 40%+ of global F&A outsourcing revenue thanks to its English-speaking CA workforce and time zone advantage. (Grand View Research)

22. 57% of US accounting firms now use offshore or near-shore staff.

Karbon's 2026 report found 57% of US firms with 10+ staff use offshore or near-shore team members for at least some tax prep, bookkeeping, or audit support work, up from 38% in 2023. (Karbon 2026)

23. Outsourced bookkeeping can cut firm labor costs by 50-70%.

AICPA-CIMA CAS economics show firms that offshore bookkeeping and tax prep to India typically reduce labor cost per engagement by 50-70%, with fully-loaded offshore costs at $15-25 per hour vs $45-75 onshore. (AICPA-CIMA CAS)

ESG and Sustainability Accounting

24. 98% of S&P 500 companies now publish sustainability reports.

The G&A Institute's 2025 Sustainability Reporting in Focus report found 98% of S&P 500 companies and 90% of Russell 1000 companies published sustainability or ESG reports in their most recent reporting year. (G&A Institute)

25. PwC projects ESG assurance to be a $3 billion services market by 2027.

PwC's Future of Sustainability Reporting Assurance analysis projects global ESG assurance and audit services will grow into a $3 billion market by 2027, driven by EU CSRD compliance and California's SB 253 and SB 261 climate disclosure laws. (PwC Sustainability)

26. 62% of CFOs name ESG reporting a top-five priority in 2026.

Deloitte's 2026 Future of Finance survey of 600+ global CFOs found 62% naming sustainability and ESG reporting a top-five priority for the year, up from 41% in 2023. The biggest pain point cited is data quality across business units. (Deloitte CFO Signals)

Tax Automation and IRS Digitization

27. The IRS processed 163 million individual returns in filing season 2025.

The IRS Filing Season Statistics show the agency processed roughly 163 million individual returns in 2025, with 93.8% filed electronically, up from 92.1% the prior year. The average refund was $3,170, up 4% YoY. (IRS Filing Season Statistics)

28. IRS Direct File is expanding to 24 states for the 2026 filing season.

The IRS announced Direct File will expand from 12 to 24 states for the 2026 filing season, doubling eligible taxpayers and offering a free federal filing option that bypasses TurboTax and H&R Block entirely. (IRS Direct File)

29. IRS audit rates for high earners have risen 38% since Inflation Reduction Act funding.

IRS enforcement data shows audit rates for taxpayers earning over $1 million have risen 38% since the agency received its $80 billion IRA funding in 2022, with planned increases for earners above $400,000 through 2027. (IRS IRA Plan)

The accounting profession in 2026 is being squeezed from both sides: a talent pipeline that has lost a third of its candidates in under a decade, and AI tools that are automating the work the missing juniors used to do. Firms that win the next five years will pair lean offshore capacity with thoughtful AI deployment, keep CPAs focused on advisory work, and treat ESG and tax automation as growth markets rather than compliance headaches. At 99coupons.ai, we watch every industry where software, automation, and human expertise collide — and few are more interesting right now than the back office.