Principal Accountant

Maintain financial records, prepare budgets and reports, and ensure compliance with fiscal rules.

6 employees hold this title in Fa-Finance Administrative Service. Median total compensation for the role is $37,348, above the department median of $35,058.

Employees: 6
Total payroll: $224.1K
Role median: $37,348
Agency median: $35,058
Comparison: Above

Compared with the local labor market

Principal Accountant pay vs. the Albuquerque, NM area

Across all employers in the Albuquerque, NM area, the median wage for Accountants and Auditors — about 3,260 people — is $79,880. Fa-Finance Administrative Service pays a median base salary of $37,348 for this role, 53% below that figure — below the 10th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Fa-Finance Administrative Service sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$55,990

$64,270

$79,880

$99,580

$126,260

Fa-Finance Administrative Service median · $37,348

The bar is the range of annual wages for Accountants and Auditors across every employer in the Albuquerque, NM area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Fa-Finance Administrative Service’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Accountants and Auditors — about 1,449,500 people — is $83,680. Fa-Finance Administrative Service’s median base salary is 55% below that national figure, below the 10th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$56,020

$67,020

$83,680

$109,810

$144,090

Fa-Finance Administrative Service median · $37,348

Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Albuquerque, NM range relative to the national one.

Median total compensation for this role at Fa-Finance Administrative Service is $37,348, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare jurisdictions

Principal Accountant beyond City of Albuquerque

This role is reported in 4 jurisdictions. In City of Albuquerque, the median of $37,348 ranks #3 of 4. See Principal Accountant across all of City of Albuquerque →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

City of Los Angeles

$179,195 · 57

City of Buffalo

$85,308 · 5

Rhode Island

$17,036 · 8

Median total compensation for comparable Principal Accountantroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list