Short answer
Dallas County has 1,332 accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll offices with paid employees, employing 22,168 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023). 526 are CPA offices, with 14,390 employees, and three offices have 1,000 or more staff. The wider Dallas-Fort Worth metro has 3,263 offices. Texas-based CPA firms must hold a firm license from the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy; out-of-state firms can practice under a privilege instead.
- 1,332 offices in Dallas County employ 22,168 people, at average pay of $103,649.
- CPA offices average 27.4 employees and pay $120,836 per employee, our calculation.
- Out-of-state CPA firms can practice in Texas without a firm license since 1 September 2019.
- 68% of the 12,900 preparers in the IRS listing for Dallas County hold no IRS credential or filing season record.
- Accountants and auditors in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro earned a median of $82,620 in May 2025.
On this page
This page is for Dallas companies and households choosing an accountant, accountants comparing Dallas employers, and vendors that sell to accounting firms. It uses Dallas County, the core of the metro, for the Census figures, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area where that's how the data is published.
Dallas County's accounting offices
County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, NAICS 5412 (accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services), Dallas County, Texas:
| Measure (2023) | Dallas County |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 1,332 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 22,168 |
| Annual payroll | $2,297,690,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 16.6 |
| Average annual pay | $103,649 |
| Share of US establishments | 0.97% of 137,069 |
For the whole Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro, CBP counts 3,263 offices, fifth among US metro areas by our ranking of the CBP metro file. CBP counts establishments with paid employees, not firms, and leaves out the self-employed.
Office sizes and types
| Employees | Offices |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 946 |
| 5 to 9 | 195 |
| 10 to 19 | 94 |
| 20 to 49 | 40 |
| 50 to 99 | 28 |
| 100 to 249 | 17 |
| 250 to 499 | 5 |
| 500 to 999 | 4 |
| 1,000 or more | 3 |
| Type (NAICS 2022) | Offices | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| CPA offices (541211) | 526 | 14,390 |
| Other accounting, including bookkeeping (541219) | 426 | 4,249 |
| Tax preparation (541213) | 310 | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Payroll services (541214) | 70 | 2,301 |
The tax preparation employee figure was published but flagged as high-noise: the Census Bureau's confidentiality noise changed it by 5% or more. CPA offices here average 27.4 employees, against 14.8 in the Houston metro. Census doesn't name the 12 offices with 250 or more employees, and SEC EDGAR lists no accounting companies to add because it has no accounting industry code; the Big 4 accounting firms are the largest firms, and they're private.
Which of the four you need depends on the deliverable. A lender's covenant or an investor's request for audited or reviewed statements means a CPA firm. Monthly close and invoicing usually go to a bookkeeping service, which costs less. A tax preparation office does returns only, and a payroll service runs paychecks and payroll tax filings. By the Census definition, CPA offices may also do bookkeeping, tax returns and payroll.
Not every firm working in Dallas is licensed in Texas
Texas adopted firm mobility in HB 1520, effective 1 September 2019. A CPA firm licensed in another state can practice in Texas without a Texas firm license or notice to the board, as long as the work is done by individuals licensed in Texas or practicing under the individual privilege. To audit an entity with its home office in Texas, the out-of-state firm must also meet Texas's ownership rules and comply with the board's peer review program.
A firm with an office in Texas is different: it must hold a Texas firm license, and a majority of its ownership must belong to CPAs.
So if you can't find a firm in the TSBPA license lookup, it may be practicing under privilege. Check its home-state license through NASBA's CPAverify, which TSBPA links to, and check the individual CPA who will sign your work.
Tax preparers in Dallas County
The IRS's August 2026 preparer listing, released under the Freedom of Information Act, has 12,900 preparers with a Dallas County business address: 2,734 CPAs, 658 enrolled agents and 328 attorneys. 8,786 (68%) have neither an IRS credential nor an Annual Filing Season Program record. The city of Dallas has 7,895 of them, including 2,156 CPAs.
Choosing well comes down to four checks: the credential (only CPAs, enrolled agents and attorneys can represent you in every IRS matter), the license lookup, a fee that isn't a cut of your refund, and a signed return with the preparer's PTIN. For a public company audit, the firm must be PCAOB-registered; 12 US firms issued more than 100 public company audit reports in 2025.
Jobs and pay
Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro:
| Occupation | Employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Accountants and auditors | 37,450 | $82,620 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks | 34,930 | $51,720 |
| Financial managers | 26,600 | $169,200 |
| Tax preparers | 1,780 | $47,020 |
Prospecting Dallas accounting firms
The mid-size CPA firm is the most reachable buyer here: big enough to have a firm administrator or COO, small enough that the managing partner still signs.
Illustrative example. The company and rates are invented; the counts come from CBP and the IRS listing.
Trinity Audit Tools (trinityaudit.example) sells audit workflow software to firms that do attest work. Dallas County has 68 offices of all types with 20 to 99 employees; grouping the IRS listing by business name shows 34 names with ten or more CPAs. Trinity merges the two lists, removes national firms that buy centrally, and ends with about 50 firms. It contacts the audit partner and the firm administrator at each, 100 people, in May. At an illustrative 12% reply rate, that's 12 conversations, and a pilot at an illustrative third of them is 4.
Hi [first name], I saw [firm] added [number] audit staff this year. I work with mid-size Texas firms on audit workflow and peer review readiness. Happy to share what's working for firms your size if useful.
Merging lists and finding the audit partner at each firm takes time; Bebop finds matching firms and researches each account. The list of accounting firms covers registries and buying, and how many accountants there are explains the IRS file.
Local sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| TSBPA out-of-state firm practice privilege | When an out-of-state firm can practice in Texas |
| TSBPA license lookup | Individual CPA and firm searches |
| TXCPA Dallas | About 6,000 members in Dallas and 13 surrounding counties |
| Dallas Regional Chamber | The regional chamber and economic development group |
Next step: for the state capital's market, see accounting firms in Austin.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- North American Industry Classification System, 2022 (industries 541211 to 541219), US Census Bureau, 2022, accessed 30 October 2026
- Out-of-state firms practice privilege, Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, accessed 30 October 2026
- The Public Accountancy Act, Chapter 901 of the Occupations Code (sections 901.351, 901.354 and 901.461), Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, 2025, accessed 30 October 2026
- PTIN information and the Freedom of Information Act (preparer listings by state), Internal Revenue Service, updated 14 August 2026
- Topic no. 254, How to choose a tax return preparer, Internal Revenue Service, accessed 30 October 2026
- 2025 Annual Report (registered firms as of 31 December 2025), Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, 2026
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: metropolitan area estimates, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed 30 October 2026
- Welcome to TXCPA Dallas, Texas Society of CPAs, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many accounting firms are in Dallas?
Census County Business Patterns counted 1,332 accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll establishments with paid employees in Dallas County in 2023, employing 22,168 people. 526 were CPA offices. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area had 3,263 such offices. These are offices with employees, not firms, so firms with several locations count more than once.
Does an out-of-state CPA firm need a Texas license?
Usually not. Since 1 September 2019, a CPA firm licensed in another state can practice in Texas without a Texas firm license or notice, if the work is done by individuals licensed in Texas or practicing under privilege. To audit an entity headquartered in Texas, it must also meet Texas ownership rules and the board's peer review program. A firm with a Texas office needs a Texas license.
How do I check a Dallas CPA firm?
Search the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy's license lookup for the firm and the individual CPA. If the firm isn't there, it may be an out-of-state firm practicing under privilege; check its home-state license through NASBA's CPAverify. For non-CPA tax preparers, use the IRS directory of federal tax return preparers with credentials.
How much do accountants make in Dallas?
Accountants and auditors in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area earned a median of $82,620 a year in May 2025, across 37,450 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Financial managers earned $169,200. In Census data, pay per employee at Dallas County's CPA offices averaged $120,836 in 2023.