Accountants and Auditors pay range in Ames
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $52,370 a year or less, while the top 10% make $126,450 or more. The middle half of accountants and auditors in Ames earn between $62,960 and $98,100.
- $52K10th
- $63K25th
- $79KMedian
- $98K75th
- $126K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $84,740 | $7,062 | $40.74 |
| Median | $79,320 | $6,610 | $38.13 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $62,960 | $5,247 | $30.27 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $98,100 | $8,175 | $47.16 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Accountants and Auditors salary after taxes in Ames
On the average salary of $84,740, a single filer in Ames takes home about $65,836 a year, or $5,486 a month and $2,532 every two weeks. Taxes take 22% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Iowa school district surtaxes (a percentage of state tax in some districts) are not included.
Is Ames a good place for accountants and auditors? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Ames area are 11% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 88.8), so the average $84,740 buys what about $95,396 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Ames ($50,220). A typical home costs $280,269, or 3.3 years of this average salary before tax.
Accountants and Auditors salary in other Iowa cities
Ames ranks 2nd of 8 Iowa metro areas for this job; Des Moines pays the most ($87,250).
- Des Moines$87,250
- Ames$84,740
- Cedar Rapids$83,680
- Sioux City$83,650
- Davenport$83,400
- Waterloo$80,970
- Dubuque$79,580
- Iowa City$79,560
Highest-paying cities for accountants and auditors
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($128,520).
- San Jose, CA$128,520
- San Francisco, CA$120,780
- New York, NY$119,280
- Washington, DC$113,640
- Midland, TX$111,820
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Accountants and Auditors salary in Ames: questions
How much do accountants and auditors make an hour in Ames?
$40.74 an hour on average, and $38.14 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level accountants and auditors salary in Ames?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $52,370 a year and the 25th percentile is $62,960, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the accountants and auditors take-home pay in Ames?
About $65,836 a year ($5,486 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $84,740. Iowa school district surtaxes (a percentage of state tax in some districts) are not included.
Do accountants and auditors earn more in Ames than elsewhere?
The average here is 11% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($95,613).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 13-2011; area Ames, IA (11180). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.4%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Iowa school district surtaxes (a percentage of state tax in some districts) are not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.02, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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