Accountant salary in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Brownsville-Harlingen is a lower-cost market for accountants: the median of $66,440 a year1 is 17.9% below the Texas statewide median of $80,920, and 20.6% below the US median of $83,680. Only 46 of 521 US areas pay less for this job. About 690 accountants work here.
BLS occupation 13-2011, area Brownsville-Harlingen, TX. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Brownsville-Harlingen against Texas and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | $46,740 | $66,440 | $101,790 | |
| Texas | $53,380 | $80,920 | $132,040 | |
| United States | $56,020 | $83,680 | $144,090 |
The middle half of accountants in Brownsville-Harlingen earns $55,100–$81,510. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $101,790, only 2.2 times the bottom tenth, against 2.6 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. The mean ($72,450) is 9% over the median, so a group of high earners pulls the average up; price a typical hire from the median. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $26,410 wide, against $38,200 across Texas and $42,790 nationally: employers in Brownsville-Harlingen pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for an accountant here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,740 | $3,895 | $22.47 | $60,310 |
| 25th percentile | $55,100 | $4,592 | $26.49 | $71,097 |
| Median | $66,440 | $5,537 | $31.94 | $85,729 |
| 75th percentile | $81,510 | $6,792 | $39.19 | $105,174 |
| 90th percentile | $101,790 | $8,482 | $48.94 | $131,342 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $15,070 a year in pay and about $19,445 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $11,340 in pay. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $83,680 falls between the 75th and 90th percentiles in Brownsville-Harlingen, and the Texas statewide median of $80,920 falls between the median and the 75th percentile. An offer at the national rate would beat what three quarters of local accountants earn.
What a hire really costs in Brownsville-Harlingen
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $19,289 to the $66,440 median and brings it to $85,729 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for accountants we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in Brownsville-Harlingen
Of the 17 roles we track in Brownsville-Harlingen, this one ranks #2 by median pay, after project coordinators ($73,050); executive assistants come next at $60,060.
| Role | Median | vs accountant | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Coordinator | +9.9% | 610 | |
| Accountant | this role | 690 | |
| Executive Assistant | -9.6% | 190 | |
| Recruiter | -16.4% | 600 | |
| Office Manager | -26.2% | 1,560 |
Measured against the US median, accountants rank #6 of the 17 roles we track in Brownsville-Harlingen (-20.6%), between e-commerce order specialists (-20.6%) and executive assistants (-21.6%). The typical role here is at -24.4%, so, measured against the US, accountants cost more in Brownsville-Harlingen than the area's general pay level would suggest. Accountants hold 4.5% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Brownsville-Harlingen, 7.4% across Texas and 9.1% nationally. The job is a smaller part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Texas
Across the 32 areas of Texas with data for this job, the median runs from $63,410 in Laredo to $100,890 in Midland, a gap of $37,480 a year. Of the 19 areas in Texas with more accountants than Brownsville-Harlingen, 2 pay less: El Paso, TX ($65,990) and McAllen-Edinburg, TX ($64,470).
| Area | Median | vs Brownsville-Harlingen | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Angelo, TX | +8.3% | 360 | |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | +8.1% | 810 | |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | +4.5% | 320 | |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | this area | 690 | |
| El Paso, TX | -0.7% | 2,120 | |
| Eagle Pass, TX | -0.8% | 80 | |
| McAllen-Edinburg, TX | -3.0% | 1,430 |
Brownsville-Harlingen against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Brownsville-Harlingen is #278 of 521 US areas for this job. It is a mid-sized market, and its pay is in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Texas, Charleston and Mansfield pay just above Brownsville-Harlingen and Anniston-Oxford and Hammond just below. All four are within $840 a year of the median in Brownsville-Harlingen. Of the three markets with about as many accountants, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Brownsville-Harlingen | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | +44.2% | 690 | jobs | |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | +16.8% | 690 | jobs | |
| Cheyenne, WY | +11.5% | 700 | jobs | |
| Mansfield, OH | +1.3% | 260 | pay | |
| Charleston, WV | +0.2% | 890 | pay | |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | this area | 690 | ||
| Anniston-Oxford, AL | -0.3% | 340 | pay | |
| Hammond, LA | -0.5% | 250 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire an accountant in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
About $85,729 a year at the median, or $7,144 a month: $66,440 in pay plus about $19,289 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for accountants in Brownsville-Harlingen?
Pay here is lower than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $66,440 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $46,740, the 90th $101,790, and the middle half earned $55,100 to $81,510.
Is Brownsville-Harlingen cheaper than the rest of Texas for accountants?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $66,440 against $80,920 statewide. The next area up in Texas is Texarkana at $69,440, the next down El Paso at $65,990.
How many accountants work in Brownsville-Harlingen?
BLS counts about 690 in the May 2025 survey. 19 areas in Texas have more; the closest in size is the Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetro area, with about 720.
Does an accountant cost more than an executive assistant in Brownsville-Harlingen?
Yes: $6,380 a year more at the median. The medians are $66,440 and $60,060.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 13-2011: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.