NAICS 541211, 541213

Accounting & Tax Preparation Firms in California

Offices of certified public accountants and establishments primarily engaged in preparing individual and business tax returns.

Establishments (2023): 11,500; Statewide, California
Employees: 87,888; Mid-March employment
Annual payroll: $8.2B; All establishments
Avg. establishment size: 7.6; Employees per establishment

What acquirers look at

The most acute succession crisis of any professional service category. A large share of partners are past traditional retirement age with no internal successor. Annual recurring compliance revenue with exceptional retention.

Accounting by county

Ranked by establishment count, 2023 County Business Patterns. For the crowded-versus-underserved reading, see the saturation ranking, which ranks by establishments per resident instead.

#	County	Establishments	Per 10k residents	Share of state
1	Los Angeles County	3,637	3.8	31.6%
2	Orange County	1,399	4.4	12.2%
3	San Diego County	1,024	3.1	8.9%
4	Santa Clara County	562	2.9	4.9%
5	Riverside County	436	1.7	3.8%
6	Sacramento County	374	2.3	3.3%
7	San Bernardino County	371	1.7	3.2%
8	Contra Costa County	346	3.0	3.0%
9	Alameda County	330	2.0	2.9%
10	San Francisco County	304	3.7	2.6%
11	Ventura County	299	3.6	2.6%
12	Fresno County	269	2.6	2.3%
13	San Mateo County	223	3.0	1.9%
14	Sonoma County	159	3.3	1.4%
15	Kern County	150	1.6	1.3%
16	Placer County	139	3.1	1.2%
17	San Joaquin County	135	1.6	1.2%
18	Stanislaus County	128	2.3	1.1%
19	Marin County	118	4.7	1.0%
20	Santa Barbara County	116	2.6	1.0%
21	Monterey County	103	2.4	0.9%
22	Tulare County	96	2.0	0.8%
23	San Luis Obispo County	80	2.8	0.7%
24	Santa Cruz County	80	3.1	0.7%
25	Solano County	66	1.4	0.6%

Counties in California

Accounting in Los Angeles Accounting in San Diego Accounting in Orange Accounting in Riverside Accounting in San Bernardino Accounting in Santa Clara Accounting in Alameda Accounting in Sacramento Accounting in Contra Costa Accounting in Fresno Accounting in Kern Accounting in Ventura Accounting in San Francisco Accounting in San Joaquin Accounting in San Mateo Accounting in Stanislaus Accounting in Sonoma Accounting in Tulare Accounting in Solano Accounting in Placer Accounting in Santa Barbara Accounting in Monterey Accounting in Merced Accounting in San Luis Obispo Accounting in Santa Cruz Accounting in Marin Accounting in Yolo Accounting in Butte Accounting in El Dorado Accounting in Shasta Accounting in Imperial Accounting in Madera Accounting in Kings Accounting in Napa Accounting in Humboldt Accounting in Nevada Accounting in Sutter Yuba Accounting in Mendocino Accounting in San Benito Accounting in Lake Accounting in Tehama Accounting in Tuolumne Accounting in Calaveras Accounting in Siskiyou Accounting in Amador Accounting in Glenn Accounting in Lassen Del Norte Colusa Plumas Accounting in Inyo Mariposa Trinity Accounting in Mono Accounting in Modoc Sierra Alpine

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns. Establishment counts, employment and annual payroll by NAICS. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2026Q1). Quarterly establishment counts and employment for employers covered by unemployment insurance. Retrieved 2026-09-08.