Accountants & Auditors salary in Olympia, WA
Median pay for accountants & auditors in Olympia, WA: $82,510/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $59,620 – $120,490 · about 1,020 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($74,290) by +$8,220 (+11%).
What it's really worth in Olympia
With Olympia's cost of living at 106 (US=100), that $82,510 has the buying power of about $77,576 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $88,895 · median home $533,918 · median rent $2,041/mo.
How Olympia ranks for this job
On raw pay, Olympia, WA is 22nd of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once Olympia's cost of living is applied, it ranks 90th.
The headline number flatters Olympia. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, accountants & auditors here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Olympia
A median home in Olympia, WA costs $533,918 — about 6.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $2,041/mo works out at 30% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Olympia.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Olympia | Rent vs Olympia |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +38% | 1.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +26% | 1.6× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +26% | 1.7× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +18% | 1.2× |
Same job elsewhere in WA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Olympia | Rent vs Olympia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | $95,580 | +16% | 1.1× |
| Kennewick, WA | $86,010 | +4% | 0.8× |
| Bremerton, WA | $79,410 | −4% | 1× |
| Yakima, WA | $78,970 | −4% | 0.7× |
Staying in WA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Olympia
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.