Short answer
San Diego County has 1,730 accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll offices with paid employees, employing 11,338 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023). 664 are CPA offices, 641 bookkeeping and other accounting services and 360 tax preparation offices. Only 18 have 100 or more employees. Check CPAs and firms with the California Board of Accountancy, other paid preparers with CTEC, and enrolled agents in the IRS directory of credentialed preparers.
- 1,730 offices employ 11,338 people at average pay of $75,883; 72% have fewer than five employees.
- The IRS listing has 1,275 enrolled agents in the county, 17% of its 7,515 preparers.
- An accountancy corporation needs an active California CPA shareholder and security for client claims.
- CTEC-registered preparers must carry a $5,000 surety bond and give clients the bond details.
- Accountants and auditors in the metro earned a median of $96,340 in May 2025.
On this page
This page is for San Diego businesses and households looking for an accountant or tax professional, accountants weighing local employers, and companies that sell to small accounting and tax practices. It gives the Census picture, explains the three kinds of tax professional you'll meet, lists what to check before you sign, and ends with prospecting.
A market of small practices
County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023 covers NAICS 5412 (accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services) in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area (CBSA 41740), which is San Diego County.
| Measure (2023) | San Diego metro |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 1,730 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 11,338 |
| Annual payroll | $860,356,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 6.6 |
| Average annual pay | $75,883 |
| Share of US establishments | 1.26% of 137,069 |
| Employees | Offices |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 1,246 |
| 5 to 9 | 297 |
| 10 to 19 | 103 |
| 20 to 49 | 47 |
| 50 to 99 | 19 |
| 100 to 249 | 16 |
| 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 18 offices with 100 or more employees, so 2 have 250 or more. By our ranking of the CBP metro file, San Diego is 17th among US metro areas by number of offices. CBP counts establishments with paid employees, not firms, and leaves out sole practitioners. SEC EDGAR has no listed accounting companies to report, because its industry list has no accounting code.
By type (NAICS 2022): 664 CPA offices with 5,708 employees; 641 bookkeeping and other accounting offices with 3,125; 360 tax preparation offices with 1,530; and 65 payroll offices with 975. Only the CPA offices can audit or review financial statements.
CPA, enrolled agent or registered preparer?
The IRS's August 2026 preparer listing, released under the Freedom of Information Act, has 7,515 preparers with a San Diego County business address:
| Credential | Preparers | Licensed or registered by |
|---|---|---|
| CPA | 2,112 | California Board of Accountancy |
| Enrolled agent | 1,275 | IRS |
| Attorney | 275 | State Bar of California |
| Annual Filing Season Program record | 1,657 | IRS (a voluntary program, not a license) |
| None of these | 2,681 |
Some preparers hold more than one credential. Enrolled agents pass a three-part IRS exam and complete 72 hours of continuing education every three years, and they share unlimited IRS representation rights with CPAs and attorneys. A CPA is the choice when you also need financial statements or an audit. The city of San Diego alone lists 3,544 preparers, 1,204 of them CPAs and 569 enrolled agents.
What to check before you sign
- For a CPA firm: search the DCA license search for both the firm and the CPA. An accountancy corporation must be approved by the California Board of Accountancy before it practices, needs at least one shareholder with an active California CPA license, renews every two years and must tell the board about changes in shareholders or address within 30 days.
- Ask how the firm covers claims. California requires an accountancy corporation to keep security for client claims, either insurance or a shareholder guarantee.
- For a preparer who isn't a CPA, enrolled agent or attorney: confirm CTEC registration in its preparer lookup. CTEC registrants are the only California tax professionals required to carry a $5,000 surety bond, and they must give clients the surety's name and the bond number. CTEC publishes paid claims against preparer bonds.
- For an enrolled agent: check the IRS directory of federal tax return preparers with credentials.
- Read the fee terms. The IRS warns against preparers who base fees on your refund, and the preparer must sign the return and enter a PTIN.
If a public company or broker-dealer needs an auditor, the firm must be registered with the PCAOB; 194 US firms issued public company audit reports in 2025.
Jobs and pay
Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates for May 2025, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro: 13,450 accountants and auditors at a median of $96,340 a year, 12,830 bookkeeping clerks at $58,580, 7,350 financial managers at $174,210 and 690 tax preparers at $70,170. In CBP, CPA offices pay $100,962 per employee, our calculation from payroll.
Selling to San Diego practices
With 1,646 of 1,730 offices under 20 employees, the buyer is nearly always the owner, who is also the busiest preparer from January to April.
Illustrative example. The company and rates are invented; the counts come from the IRS listing.
Harborline Tax Tools (harborline.example) sells IRS transcript and representation software, which matters most to enrolled agents. San Diego's enrolled agents work under more than 800 business names, and at least 74 of those names list two or more enrolled agents. Harborline starts with those multi-agent practices, adds the 2,112 CPAs' firms later, and calls in June and July. At an illustrative 20% meeting rate, the first list gives 15 demos; closing a third gives 5 practices before the next season.
Hi [first name], it's [your name] from [company]. I'm calling practices in [neighborhood] that handle IRS notices and payment plans for clients. We pull transcripts and track every open case in one place, so you're not logging in client by client. If that would save your team time before January, call me back at [number]. Again, [your name], [number].
Building the list from business names and finding the owner of each practice takes time; Bebop finds matching practices and researches each one. For the firm types and buying cycle, see the list of accounting firms; for the IRS file and national counts, how many accountants there are.
Local sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| CBA firm licensure rules | Corporation and partnership requirements |
| CTEC paid bond claims | Claims paid against registered preparers' bonds |
| CalCPA: find a CPA | Free directory of member CPAs |
| San Diego Regional EDC | The region's economic development corporation |
Next step: for the larger market up the coast, see accounting firms in Los Angeles.
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
- Firm applicants: accountancy corporations and partnerships, California Board of Accountancy, accessed 30 October 2026
- Frequently asked questions (registration, bonds and verification), California Tax Education Council, accessed 30 October 2026
- Preparer paid bond claims reported, California Tax Education Council, accessed 30 October 2026
- PTIN information and the Freedom of Information Act (preparer listings by state), Internal Revenue Service, updated 14 August 2026
- Understanding tax return preparer credentials and qualifications, Internal Revenue Service, accessed 30 October 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 San Diego?
Census County Business Patterns counted 1,730 accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll establishments with paid employees in San Diego County in 2023, employing 11,338 people. 664 were CPA offices and 360 tax preparation offices. Only 18 had 100 or more employees. The figures count offices, not firms, and exclude preparers with no employees.
Is an enrolled agent as good as a CPA for taxes?
For federal tax work, enrolled agents have the same unlimited right to represent you before the IRS as CPAs and attorneys. They're licensed by the IRS after a three-part exam and must complete 72 hours of continuing education every three years. A CPA is licensed by the state and can also audit or review financial statements, which an enrolled agent can't.
How do I check a tax preparer in California?
It depends on the credential. Check CPAs and accountancy firms in the California Board of Accountancy's records through the Department of Consumer Affairs license search, preparers who aren't CPAs, enrolled agents or attorneys in CTEC's preparer lookup, and enrolled agents in the IRS directory. CTEC-registered preparers must also give you their surety bond details.
How much do accountants make in San Diego?
Accountants and auditors in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area earned a median of $96,340 a year in May 2025, across 13,450 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax preparers earned a median of $70,170 and bookkeeping clerks $58,580. Census puts pay per employee at the county's CPA offices at $100,962 in 2023.