Short answer
The Grand Rapids metro area has 369 accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll offices with paid employees, employing 5,098 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023). Kent County has 264 of them and 84% of the jobs. 141 are CPA offices and 125 bookkeeping and other accounting services; 13 offices have 100 or more employees. The Michigan State Board of Accountancy licenses CPAs and CPA firms, and the IRS directory lists credentialed tax preparers.
- 369 offices employ 5,098 people across five counties, at average pay of $80,082.
- Kent County offices average 16.3 employees; 10 of the metro's 11 offices with 100 to 249 staff are there.
- Bookkeeping and other non-CPA offices average 13.7 employees here, against 4.5 in Chicago and 3.2 in Denver.
- The IRS listing has 821 CPAs among 2,423 preparers with a metro business address.
- Accountants and auditors in the metro earned a median of $76,270 in May 2025.
On this page
This page is for West Michigan businesses, nonprofits and households choosing an accountant, accountants and students looking at local firms, and companies that sell to accounting practices. It gives the Census count, the firm types, how to check a professional and how to prospect a market this size.
Grand Rapids' accounting market
County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, NAICS 5412 (accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services), Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area (CBSA 24340):
| Measure (2023) | Grand Rapids metro |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 369 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 5,098 |
| Annual payroll | $408,258,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 13.8 |
| Average annual pay | $80,082 |
| Share of US establishments | 0.27% of 137,069 |
| County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Kent | 264 | 4,293 |
| Ottawa | 74 | 670 |
| Ionia | 13 | 55 |
| Barry | 9 | 63 |
| Montcalm | 9 | 17 |
| Employees | Offices |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 214 |
| 5 to 9 | 70 |
| 10 to 19 | 34 |
| 20 to 49 | 28 |
| 50 to 99 | 10 |
| 100 to 249 | 11 |
| 250 or more | Not published |
The Census Bureau doesn't publish the classes from 250 employees up. Subtracting the published classes from the total leaves 13 offices with 100 or more employees, so 2 have 250 or more. Grand Rapids is 60th among US metro and micro areas by number of accounting offices, by our ranking of the CBP metro file. CBP counts establishments with paid employees, not firms, and leaves out the self-employed. SEC EDGAR has no listed accounting companies to add, since its industry list has no accounting code; the Big 4 accounting firms are private partnerships.
Which kind of firm does what
| Type (NAICS 2022) | Offices | Employees | Per office |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPA offices (541211) | 141 | 2,484 | 17.6 |
| Other accounting, including bookkeeping (541219) | 125 | 1,709 | 13.7 |
| Tax preparation (541213) | 82 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | |
| Payroll services (541214) | 21 | 494 | 23.5 |
The tax preparation employee figure was published but flagged as high-noise: confidentiality noise changed it by 5% or more. CPA offices are the ones that can audit or review financial statements, and they also prepare taxes and advise. The bookkeeping and other accounting offices are unusually large here, averaging 13.7 people against 4.5 in the Chicago metro and 3.2 in Denver's, so a non-CPA firm in Grand Rapids may well have a team behind it. Tax preparation offices do returns only.
Within the metro, Kent County's 264 offices average 16.3 employees and include 10 of the 11 offices with 100 to 249 staff. Ottawa County's 74 offices average 9.1, and Ionia, Barry and Montcalm counties have 31 offices between them, averaging about four people. If you want a larger firm with specialists in audit or business tax, start in Kent; for a local practice that knows a smaller community, the outer counties have them.
Checking a Michigan accountant or preparer
- CPAs and CPA firms. The Michigan State Board of Accountancy, in Lansing, licenses both; NASBA's state board directory links to its website and statutes, and NASBA's CPAverify searches license data the boards supply.
- Tax preparers. The IRS's August 2026 preparer listing, released under the Freedom of Information Act, has 2,423 preparers with a metro business address: 821 CPAs, 204 enrolled agents and 49 attorneys. 1,267 (52%) hold no IRS credential and no Annual Filing Season Program record. The city of Grand Rapids lists 1,208 of the preparers, 471 of them CPAs.
- Representation. If you're facing an IRS audit, collection or appeal, use a CPA, enrolled agent or attorney; only they can represent you in every matter.
- Fees and paperwork. The IRS warns against fees based on your refund and says never to sign a blank return; the preparer must sign and enter a PTIN.
- Public company audits require a PCAOB-registered firm; 646 US firms were registered at the end of 2025.
The Michigan Association of CPAs runs a public find a CPA service.
Jobs and pay
Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro:
| Occupation | Employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Accountants and auditors | 5,670 | $76,270 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks | 5,070 | $48,550 |
| Financial managers | 2,820 | $133,380 |
| Tax preparers | 140 | $54,570 |
CBP puts pay per employee at the metro's CPA offices at $92,703, our calculation from payroll.
Selling in a market you can cover firm by firm
At 369 offices, Grand Rapids rewards depth over volume: you can know every firm that fits.
Illustrative example. The company and rates are invented; the counts come from the IRS listing and CBP.
Lakeshore Scan (lakeshorescan.example) sells tax-document scanning and return assembly to CPA firms with enough volume to need it. Grouping the IRS listing by business name, 27 names in the metro list five or more CPAs, and 11 list ten or more. That's a list one person can research in a week. Lakeshore reads each firm's site for its tax team and client mix, asks each managing partner for a 30-minute visit in June, and tracks every firm through the next season. At an illustrative one in three accepting, that's 9 visits; two or three new clients would be a good first year in a market this size.
Even with a short list, the research takes time; Bebop writes a playbook for each account, with who to talk to and what's changed at the firm. For buying cycles, see the list of accounting firms; for the IRS file, how many accountants there are.
Local sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| NASBA state board directory | The Michigan State Board of Accountancy's website and statutes |
| MICPA: find a CPA | The state association's public referral service |
| The Right Place | Greater Grand Rapids' economic development organization |
Next step: compare a larger Great Lakes market in accounting firms in Chicago.
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
- State boards of accountancy directory, National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, accessed 30 October 2026
- Licensure and redesigned CPAverify and ALD sites, National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, 17 October 2025
- Find a CPA, Michigan Association of CPAs, 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
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many accounting firms are in Grand Rapids?
Census County Business Patterns counted 369 accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll establishments with paid employees in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area in 2023, employing 5,098 people. Kent County had 264 and Ottawa County 74. 141 were CPA offices. The figures count offices with employees, not firms, and leave out accountants working alone.
How do I check a CPA's license in Michigan?
The Michigan State Board of Accountancy licenses CPAs and CPA firms; NASBA's directory of state boards links to its website. NASBA's CPAverify also searches license data supplied by state boards. For tax preparers who aren't CPAs, use the IRS directory of federal tax return preparers with credentials, which lists enrolled agents and filing season program participants.
What are the biggest accounting firms in Grand Rapids?
Census data doesn't name firms, but it shows 13 offices in the metro with 100 or more employees, 2 of them with 250 or more, and 10 of the 11 offices with 100 to 249 staff are in Kent County. In the IRS preparer listing, 11 business names in the metro list ten or more CPAs. Confirm any firm's license with the Michigan board before you engage it.
How much do accountants make in Grand Rapids?
Accountants and auditors in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area earned a median of $76,270 a year in May 2025, across 5,670 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bookkeeping clerks earned $48,550 and financial managers $133,380. Census puts pay per employee at the metro's CPA offices at $92,703 in 2023.