Accountant salary in Detroit-Warren, MI
Detroit-Warren pays accountants more than Michigan as a whole but less than the country. The median is $80,650 a year1: 2.3% above the Michigan statewide median of $78,820 and 3.6% below the US median of $83,680. That is in the top quarter of US areas (#110 of 521). With about 19,390 accountants, 47% of the Michigan total, no area in Michigan employs more.
BLS occupation 13-2011, area Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Detroit-Warren against Michigan and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren, MI | $58,080 | $80,650 | $133,870 | |
| Michigan | $52,620 | $78,820 | $131,080 | |
| United States | $56,020 | $83,680 | $144,090 |
The middle half of accountants in Detroit-Warren earns $65,490–$104,170. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $133,870, only 2.3 times the bottom tenth, against 2.6 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. The mean ($91,310) is 13% 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 $38,680 wide, between the figure for Michigan ($37,180) and the US figure ($42,790).
What to budget for an accountant here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $58,080 | $4,840 | $27.92 | $74,942 |
| 25th percentile | $65,490 | $5,458 | $31.49 | $84,503 |
| Median | $80,650 | $6,721 | $38.77 | $104,065 |
| 75th percentile | $104,170 | $8,681 | $50.08 | $134,413 |
| 90th percentile | $133,870 | $11,156 | $64.36 | $172,735 |
Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $23,520 over the median, the 25th only $15,160 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $30,348 a year in employer cost. 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 median and the 75th percentile in Detroit-Warren, and the Michigan statewide median of $78,820 falls between the 25th percentile and the median.
What a hire really costs in Detroit-Warren
At the $80,650 median, a local hire costs about $104,065 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $23,415 here. 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 Detroit-Warren
Of the 17 roles we track in Detroit-Warren, this one ranks #2 by median pay, after project coordinators ($105,350); marketing specialists come next at $77,100.
| Role | Median | vs accountant | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Coordinator | +30.6% | 13,230 | |
| Accountant | this role | 19,390 | |
| Marketing Specialist | -4.4% | 11,710 | |
| Sales Development Representative | -4.5% | 13,130 | |
| Recruiter | -6.0% | 11,480 |
Measured against the US median, accountants rank #15 of the 17 roles we track in Detroit-Warren (-3.6%), between office managers (-3.5%) and HR assistants (-4.5%). The typical role here is at -0.4%, so, measured against the US, accountants cost less in Detroit-Warren than the area's general pay level would suggest. Accountants hold 10.7% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Detroit-Warren, 10.2% across Michigan and 9.1% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Michigan
Across the 19 areas of Michigan with data for this job, the median runs from $69,740 in the Northern Michigan nonmetro area to $91,790 in Midland, a gap of $22,050 a year. No other area in Michigan has as many accountants, and 16 of the other 18 pay less.
| Area | Median | vs Detroit-Warren | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midland, MI | +13.8% | 450 | |
| Jackson, MI | +1.0% | 500 | |
| Detroit-Warren, MI | this area | 19,390 | |
| Ann Arbor, MI | -0.8% | 1,580 | |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | -1.8% | 2,270 | |
| Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | -4.4% | 1,060 | |
| Saginaw, MI | -5.4% | 790 |
Detroit-Warren against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Detroit-Warren is #16 of 521 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job and one of the better-paying ones. Outside Michigan, Phoenix-Mesa and Rochester pay just above Detroit-Warren and Cincinnati and Kingston just below. All four are within $240 a year of the median in Detroit-Warren. Of the three markets with about as many accountants, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Detroit-Warren | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma, WA | +23.2% | 22,100 | jobs | |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC | +15.2% | 16,820 | jobs | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | +7.3% | 21,820 | jobs | |
| Rochester, NY | +0.3% | 4,370 | pay | |
| Phoenix-Mesa, AZ | +0.2% | 21,360 | pay | |
| Detroit-Warren, MI | this area | 19,390 | ||
| Cincinnati, OH-KY | -0.0% | 10,050 | pay | |
| Kingston, NY | -0.1% | 470 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire an accountant in Detroit-Warren, MI?
About $104,065 a year at the median, or $8,672 a month: $80,650 in pay plus about $23,415 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do accountants earn in Detroit-Warren?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $80,650 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $58,080, the 90th $133,870, and the middle half earned $65,490 to $104,170.
Is Detroit-Warren cheaper than the rest of Michigan for accountants?
No, it costs more: a median of $80,650 against $78,820 statewide. The next area up in Michigan is Jackson at $81,470, the next down Ann Arbor at $80,040.
How many accountants work in Detroit-Warren?
BLS counts about 19,390 in the May 2025 survey. That is 47% of the Michigan total of 41,460. No other area in Michigan has as many.
Does an accountant cost more than a marketing specialist in Detroit-Warren?
Yes: $3,550 a year more at the median. The medians are $80,650 and $77,100.
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.