As industry affects CPA earnings, so does company size. Large firms are willing and able to pay a premium to attract top talent. The more employees and assets a firm has or the more clients they service, the more complex various accounting functions become, and accountants’ salaries reflect that. Generally speaking, the larger the company, the higher the pay for a given role, and the better defined your career path will be. The Big 4 accounting firms are good examples of public accounting firms where an entry-level CPA could expect to make a higher-than-average starting salary.