Cold email software for accounting firms
Acqro gives CPA and accounting firms cold email that researches each prospect's company before writing. Below: verified federal data on the industry across all 50 states, the buyers it sells to, and a playbook for outreach that earns replies.
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How many accounting firms are in the United States?
The United States had 55,052 establishments in NAICS 541211, offices of certified public accountants, in 2023, employing 604,209 people. The largest markets by establishments were California, Florida and Texas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns.
Accounting firms in the US by the numbers
- US establishments
- 55,052−1.1% vs 2022Census CBP 2023, NAICS 541211
- Paid employees
- 604,209Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $100,691Census CBP 2023
- Firms under 10 employees
- 83.5%Census CBP 2023
- Largest state
- CaliforniaBy establishments, CBP 2023
Census does not publish a separate category for CPA and accounting firms; figures use NAICS 541211, Offices of Certified Public Accountants, the closest official industry. 83.5% of establishments have fewer than 10 employees, so most firms in the industry run outbound with a founder or a very small sales team. The 8,796 firms with 10 to 249 employees are the ones most likely to be building a repeatable outbound process.
The five largest states hold 40.1% of all establishments. Among states with at least 100 establishments, the fastest growth between 2022 and 2023 was in Maine (+4.9%), New Hampshire (+3.0%) and North Dakota (+2.1%). Growing markets bring new competitors and new buyers at the same time, which rewards outreach that is specific rather than volume-driven.
Accounting firms by state
All states and DC ranked by number of establishments, with the change since 2022.
| Rank | State | Establishments | Employees | Change vs 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 7,542 | 70,116 | −0.4% |
| 2 | Florida | 4,664 | 37,829 | −1.0% |
| 3 | Texas | 4,096 | 48,861 | −1.4% |
| 4 | New York | 3,519 | 57,573 | −2.6% |
| 5 | Illinois | 2,229 | 33,227 | −1.8% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 1,838 | 27,822 | −0.8% |
| 7 | New Jersey | 1,801 | 21,284 | −0.6% |
| 8 | Georgia | 1,800 | 21,264 | −2.4% |
| 9 | North Carolina | 1,674 | 17,540 | −0.8% |
| 10 | Ohio | 1,623 | 20,245 | −2.3% |
| 11 | Colorado | 1,516 | 13,085 | −1.4% |
| 12 | Michigan | 1,349 | 14,493 | −1.5% |
| 13 | Virginia | 1,183 | 19,814 | −1.2% |
| 14 | Washington | 1,183 | 12,359 | +0.3% |
| 15 | Arizona | 1,124 | 7,649 | −0.5% |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 1,091 | 18,991 | −1.4% |
| 17 | Maryland | 1,050 | 10,057 | −1.7% |
| 18 | Louisiana | 962 | 6,072 | −1.4% |
| 19 | Missouri | 869 | 12,000 | −0.7% |
| 20 | Minnesota | 843 | 11,888 | −1.9% |
| 21 | Indiana | 827 | 10,160 | −1.3% |
| 22 | Oklahoma | 808 | 5,033 | +1.8% |
| 23 | Tennessee | 796 | 9,325 | +1.7% |
| 24 | Oregon | 775 | 6,475 | −0.1% |
| 25 | Alabama | 755 | 6,087 | 0.0% |
| 26 | Wisconsin | 686 | 9,414 | −2.8% |
| 27 | South Carolina | 675 | 4,655 | −2.6% |
| 28 | Connecticut | 646 | 8,195 | −2.1% |
| 29 | Utah | 640 | 5,756 | +1.1% |
| 30 | Kentucky | 611 | 6,345 | −0.5% |
| 31 | Idaho | 519 | 2,881 | +0.8% |
| 32 | Iowa | 497 | 5,174 | −1.6% |
| 33 | Arkansas | 487 | 2,974 | −2.8% |
| 34 | Kansas | 471 | 4,134 | −0.6% |
| 35 | Nevada | 447 | 3,172 | +1.6% |
| 36 | Mississippi | 346 | 4,223 | −4.7% |
| 37 | Montana | 342 | 2,269 | +1.8% |
| 38 | Nebraska | 339 | 3,410 | −2.6% |
| 39 | New Mexico | 316 | 1,952 | −3.1% |
| 40 | Hawaii | 295 | 1,995 | +1.0% |
| 41 | West Virginia | 238 | 1,588 | −2.5% |
| 42 | Maine | 214 | 2,175 | +4.9% |
| 43 | Rhode Island | 212 | 1,910 | −1.4% |
| 44 | New Hampshire | 206 | 1,762 | +3.0% |
| 45 | Wyoming | 162 | 800 | 0.0% |
| 46 | North Dakota | 145 | 1,517 | +2.1% |
| 47 | Delaware | 142 | 1,237 | 0.0% |
| 48 | South Dakota | 142 | 1,365 | −2.7% |
| 49 | Alaska | 131 | 860 | −1.5% |
| 50 | Vermont | 129 | 927 | −0.8% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 97 | 4,270 | +2.1% |
Who accounting firms sell to
Common buyer industries for CPA and accounting firms, with US establishment counts and how many have 10 to 249 employees.
| Buyer industry | Establishments | 10–249 employees | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 814,557 | 147,964 | 7,659,459 |
| Offices of Physicians | 218,066 | 58,939 | 2,771,935 |
| Wholesale Trade | 382,081 | 113,787 | 6,236,357 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 117,417 | 29,623 | 1,741,313 |
How accounting firms should run cold email
CPA and accounting firms sell audit, tax, advisory and outsourced accounting services to businesses. These are the contacts, triggers and messages that make a first email relevant rather than generic.
Who to email
- Business owner or founder
- CFO or controller
- Office manager at smaller businesses
- Board or audit committee chair at larger clients
Signals worth researching
- Funding, acquisitions or ownership changes
- Expansion into new states, which creates multi-state tax obligations
- Job posts for finance roles, suggesting capacity gaps
- Growth that triggers audit or review requirements from lenders or investors
What to say
- Reference the event and the accounting or tax implication it creates
- Keep the message short and plain-spoken
- Offer a focused review of one issue
What to avoid
- Emailing during peak tax deadlines when owners are least responsive
- Generic 'switch accountants' pitches
Cold email for accounting firms, answered
How many accounting firms are there in the US?
There were 55,052 establishments in NAICS 541211 (Offices of Certified Public Accountants) in 2023, employing 604,209 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Which states have the most accounting firms?
By establishments in 2023: California (7,542), Florida (4,664), Texas (4,096), New York (3,519) and Illinois (2,229). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
How can CPA firms get new clients with cold email?
Focus on businesses facing an accounting event: expansion into a new state, a financing round, an acquisition, or growth that brings audit requirements. Reference that event and offer a short review of the specific issue it creates.
Who decides to hire an outside accounting firm?
At small and mid-sized businesses the owner or CEO decides, often advised by the CFO or controller if there is one. At larger or investor-backed companies, the CFO and board are involved in audit firm selection.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
Accounting Firms by state
Other industries
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
- Industry definition: NAICS 541211, Offices of Certified Public Accountants, used as the closest official category for CPA and accounting firms.
Built for accounting firms who sell to a finite list
Acqro researches every account on your list and writes the first email from what it finds.
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