RESEARCH · STATISTICS
CPA shortage statistics,
from the people who count them.
The CPA shortage in numbers: U.S. schools awarded 55,152 accounting bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 2023-24, down 6.6%, while BLS projects about 115,300 accountant and auditor openings a year through 2035. NASBA counted 650,667 actively licensed CPAs in August 2026. ZeraBooks took every figure below from AICPA, NASBA or BLS, each one linked.
Figures checked against their sources on November 4, 2026. Free to cite with a link.
THE PIPELINE
Are fewer students becoming accountants?
Degrees fell for three straight years. Enrollment has started to climb again, but students enrolled now graduate in 2027 and later.
55,152 accounting graduates in 2023-24, down 6.6%
Bachelor’s plus master’s degrees in accounting. The decline slowed from 9.6% in 2022-23 and 7.4% in 2021-22.
55,1522023-24AICPA
40,817 accounting bachelor’s degrees, down 3.3%
Bachelor’s degrees in accounting in the 2023-24 academic year, from provisional federal data reported by the AICPA.
40,8172023-24AICPA
4-year accounting enrollment rose 8.9% in spring 2026
To 205,180 students, after a 12.7% rise in spring 2025 and 4.8% in spring 2024. Total undergraduate accounting enrollment was 281,992, up from 266,868, based on National Student Clearinghouse data.
+8.9%Spring 2026AICPA
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THE CPA EXAM
How many people are taking the CPA exam?
New candidates jumped in 2023 ahead of the exam’s redesign, then fell back. Pass rates show why the exam itself is a filter.
42,626 new CPA exam candidates in 2023
The highest count since 2016, driven by candidates starting before the exam changed in 2024.
42,6262023AICPA
First-time candidates in 2025 were the highest since 2018
Leaving out the 2023 spike tied to the new exam. The AICPA did not publish a count in this release.
Highest since 20182025AICPA
Only 42% passed FAR in 2025
Cumulative 2025 pass rates by section: AUD 48%, FAR 42%, REG 63%, BAR 42%, ISC 68%, TCP 78%.
42% FAR2025AICPA
THE WORKFORCE
How many CPAs are there, and how many are near retirement?
A licensed CPA and an employed accountant are different counts. NASBA counts licenses; BLS counts people working in the occupation.
650,667 actively licensed CPAs
As of August 27, 2026, aggregated from 53 of the 55 licensing jurisdictions (Hawaii and New Mexico are not included).
650,667Aug 2026NASBA
Median age of employed accountants: 44.7
For bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks the median age is 49.8. 2025 annual averages, which leave out October.
44.7 years2025BLS CPS
27% of accountants and auditors are 55 or older
479,000 of 1,766,000 employed accountants and auditors were 55 or over in 2025 (331,000 aged 55 to 64 and 148,000 aged 65 and over). For bookkeeping clerks it is 501,000 of 1,254,000, or 40%. Our math from the BLS table.
27.1%2025BLS CPS
About 115,300 accountant and auditor openings a year
BLS projects this many openings on average each year from 2025 to 2035, with employment growing 5%.
115,300 a year2025 to 2035BLS OOH
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Is there really a CPA shortage?
One rough way to see it: yearly openings against yearly graduates. This comparison is ours, not a published ratio.
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Accountant and auditor openings a year, 2025 to 2035 | 115,300 | BLS OOH |
| Accounting bachelor’s and master’s graduates, 2023-24 | 55,152 | AICPA |
| New CPA exam candidates, 2024 | 28,082 | AICPA |
Openings include replacing people who retire or change jobs, and not every opening is filled by an accounting graduate, so the gap is not a precise shortage count. It does show why firms report hiring as their hardest problem.
WHAT FIRMS SAY
Do accounting firms say staffing is their biggest problem?
From the AICPA’s Private Companies Practice Section surveys of CPA firms.
Finding qualified staff was the No. 1 issue for every firm size but solo practitioners
In the 2024 survey of 667 firms. The two largest firm groups ranked retaining qualified staff second.
No. 1 issue2024AICPA PCPS
Hiring experienced staff was the No. 1 issue for firms with 11 to 30 professionals
In the 2026 survey of 629 firms, run April 20 to May 22, 2026. Change management for technology and AI ranked as the top issue for the next five years.
No. 1 issue2026AICPA PCPS
Responding firms hired 11,985 new graduates in 2024
75% of them were accounting graduates. This counts firms that answered the survey, not the whole profession.
11,9852024AICPA
THE RULES
Is the 150-hour rule changing?
States are adding a path to a CPA license that doesn’t require 150 credit hours.
A bachelor’s degree plus two years of experience
On May 14, 2025, the AICPA and NASBA added a path to the model law: a bachelor’s degree with an accounting concentration, two years of experience and passing the CPA exam. 14 states had already enacted it.
New pathMay 2025AICPA and NASBA
Half the states had adopted the new path by late 2025
As of November 26, 2025, half of the states had adopted the third pathway, and 22 planned to introduce legislation in 2026.
Half the statesNov 2025AICPA
OUR READ
What are firms doing about the CPA shortage?
Hiring their way out is slow: the graduates aren’t there yet, and the ones who are take years to train. So firms are taking routine work off the people they have. In the 2026 AICPA survey, managing the change to technology and AI was the top issue for the next five years.
ZeraBooks sits in that gap. It does the repetitive client work (reading statements, categorizing, reconciling, closing the month) while staff review the exceptions; see client accounting services automation and bookkeeping automation for bookkeepers. The rest of a small firm’s stack is on CPA tools, and the software overview is ZeraBooks for accountants. Wider workforce numbers are in our accounting and bookkeeping statistics 2026.
DOWNLOAD
Can I download these statistics?
Every figure on this page in one CSV, with the source link for each. Free to use with a link back to this page.
CPA shortage statistics (CSV)
One row per statistic: what it measures, value, period, source and URL.
CITE THIS PAGE
How should I cite these statistics?
Cite the original source next to each number, then this page for the collection: “CPA Shortage Statistics,” ZeraBooks, updated November 4, 2026, https://www.zerabooks.com/research/cpa-shortage-statistics. For anything else, reach us through the ZeraBooks press page.
Is there a shortage of CPAs?
The data points that way. Accounting degrees fell three years in a row to 55,152 in 2023-24, while BLS expects about 115,300 accountant and auditor openings a year through 2035, and the AICPA’s firm surveys rank finding staff as a top issue.
Why are fewer people becoming CPAs?
The figures here count people; they don’t measure why. One change aimed squarely at the pipeline is the new bachelor’s-plus-experience path to a license, which lets candidates qualify without 150 credit hours. Half the states had adopted it by November 2025.
Are accounting students coming back?
Enrollment is rising: 4-year undergraduate accounting enrollment grew 8.9% in spring 2026 after 12.7% in 2025. Those students reach the workforce from 2027 onward.
How many CPAs are near retirement?
BLS data for 2025 shows 27% of employed accountants and auditors were 55 or older, and the median age was 44.7. There is no official count of CPAs by age; NASBA counts licenses, not ages.
How are firms coping with fewer accountants?
Partly by hiring beyond accounting majors: a quarter of the new graduates responding firms hired in 2024 studied something else. And by automating routine work. Software that categorizes, reconciles and closes client books lets the same staff handle more clients; our bookkeeping automation for bookkeepers page shows the cost per client.
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Fewer accountants, the same clients.
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Last updated November 4, 2026 · Written by Damin Mutti, founder of ZeraBooks