How Many CPAs Are in the US? Read the Count Correctly
NASBA reports 653,408 actively licensed CPAs from 53 of 55 jurisdictions. See why that count cannot produce an official CPA share of accountants.
Quick answer
NASBA reports 653,408 actively licensed CPAs as of August 28, 2025. The figure covers 53 of 55 U.S. licensing jurisdictions and excludes Hawaii and New Mexico. No reviewed official source publishes an exact percentage of U.S. accountants who are CPAs.
The latest reviewed official count is 653,408
The date and coverage are part of the answer. This is not an exact count today, a worldwide count, or a complete total for every U.S. licensing jurisdiction. NASBA's Accountancy Licensee Database explains that licensing data comes from boards of accountancy.
For the profession's definition and licensed role, use what a CPA is. This page owns only the dated population count and the method needed to interpret it.
- 1Boards supply licensing dataNASBA describes its licensing database as using data supplied by boards of accountancy.
- 2Fifty-three jurisdictions are representedThe published count aggregates 53 of 55 licensing jurisdictions.
- 3Two jurisdictions are excludedNASBA names Hawaii and New Mexico as absent from this published count.
- 4The result is a dated covered countReport it with the August 28, 2025 date and coverage qualification, not as an exact count today.
Worked calculation: why 41.4 percent is not official
- 1A tempting calculation divides NASBA's 653,408 active CPA count by the BLS estimate of 1,579,800 accountant-and-auditor jobs in 2024: 653,408 / 1,579,800 x 100 = 41.36%, which rounds to 41.4%. The arithmetic is straightforward. The interpretation is not valid as an official share.
- 2The numerator and denominator measure different things. NASBA reports licensing records from 53 jurisdictions at an August 2025 point in time. BLS reports jobs in the broader accountants-and-auditors occupation for 2024. A license count is not the same unit as an employment position, and missing jurisdictions further limit coverage.
- 3Therefore, 41.4% must not be used as the headline, metadata promise, or answer to what percentage of accountants are CPAs. It is shown only as a warning about cross-dataset division. The defensible answer is that no reviewed official source publishes the requested exact percentage.
- 4If the licensing path is the reason for the question, continue with how to become a CPA after the methodology check. The path page owns qualification steps rather than population estimates.
| Dimension | NASBA numerator | BLS denominator |
|---|---|---|
| Measure | Actively licensed CPAs | Accountant and auditor jobs |
| Unit | Licenses or licensee records | Employment positions |
| Reference date | August 28, 2025 | 2024 employment |
| Coverage | 53 of 55 licensing jurisdictions | National occupational estimate |
| Definition | Active CPA licensing status | Broader accountants-and-auditors occupation |
| Step | Calculation | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Insert published values | 653,408 / 1,579,800 x 100 | Two authoritative figures with nonmatching universes |
| Arithmetic result | 41.36%, rounded to 41.4% | The arithmetic can be reproduced |
| Methodology result | Not an official percentage | The data cannot answer what share of accountants are CPAs |
Practice the CPA topics covered on this page
Practice CPA exam questions and use your results to find the topics that need more work.
Find My Weak AreasMatch five dimensions before deriving a share
A numerator and denominator need the same measure, unit, date, geography, and definition. If any dimension differs, a clean-looking percentage can answer a different question from the one asked.
Measure asks whether both figures count people with the same status. Unit asks whether both count individuals, licenses, jobs, households, or something else. Date asks whether the observations represent the same period. Geography asks whether the same jurisdictions are present. Definition asks whether the occupational and licensing categories align.
NASBA's count is useful because it directly answers a bounded licensing question. BLS data is useful for employment context. Combining two useful sources does not automatically create a valid new statistic.
- 1Define the numeratorSpecify active licensees, individuals, licenses, or another clearly bounded measure.
- 2Define the denominatorUse the same population concept rather than a related occupational estimate.
- 3Align time and geographyRequire matching reference dates and coverage before deriving a share.
- 4Label the resultDistinguish an official published statistic from an inference or an unavailable answer.
Read the NASBA count as a dated coverage statement
Keep state counts and requirements separate
State boards control licensing in their jurisdictions. A national aggregate should not be reverse-engineered into state counts or used to infer a state's education, experience, ethics, or mobility rules.
Use the CPA licensing guide for the national board-first sequence and the relevant state owner for controlling local requirements. This page does not take state requirement or state population intent.
Likewise, passing the Uniform CPA Examination and holding an active license are not identical population measures. The CPA Exam Blueprint owns tested content, not the count of active licensees.
Use a reproducible citation, not an unsupported extrapolation
- Include the exact 653,408 figure, August 28, 2025 reference date, 53-of-55 coverage, and the named Hawaii and New Mexico exclusion whenever precision matters.
- Call the measure actively licensed CPAs. Do not silently change it to all people who ever passed the Exam, all accounting graduates, or every person working in accounting.
- When asked for a percentage, state that no reviewed official exact share was found. Explain the definition problem before showing any arithmetic.
- Do not infer state totals, global totals, demographics, retirement timing, a shortage, a trend, or salary from this dataset.
- If your practical goal is exam preparation after checking the profession, use CPA practice questions. Practice activity does not affect or verify the population statistic.
Frequently asked questions
How many CPAs are there in the US?
NASBA reports 653,408 actively licensed CPAs as of August 28, 2025. Its published count covers 53 of 55 U.S. licensing jurisdictions and excludes Hawaii and New Mexico.
What percentage of accountants are CPAs?
No reviewed official source publishes an exact percentage. Dividing NASBA's active-license count by BLS accountant-and-auditor jobs mixes different dates, units, coverage, and definitions, so the result is not an official share of accountants who are CPAs.
Is 41.4 percent the official share of accountants who are CPAs?
No. That number is a rounded cross-dataset calculation, not an official statistic. The numerator is an incomplete-jurisdiction license count and the denominator is a count of jobs in a broader occupational category from a different date.
Does the NASBA count include every U.S. licensing jurisdiction?
No. The published 2025 count says it reflects 53 of 55 jurisdictions and excludes Hawaii and New Mexico. It should not be restated as a complete real-time count.
Sources
- NASBA: How Many CPAs Are There? (retrieved 2026-08-11)
- NASBA Accountancy Licensee Database (retrieved 2026-08-11)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Accountants and Auditors (retrieved 2026-08-11)