Los Angeles County / Public Works Department / Accounting Officer III

Job-title file

Accounting Officer III

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

7 employees hold this title in Public Works Department. Median total compensation for the role is $244,372, above the department median of $147,401.

Employees: 7
Total payroll: $1.6M
Role median: $244,372
Agency median: $147,401
Comparison: Above

Compared with the local labor market

Accounting Officer III pay vs. the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area

Across all employers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, the median wage for Accountants and Auditors — about 70,640 people — is $94,360. Public Works Department pays a median base salary of $141,544 for this role, 50% above that figure — about the 84th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Public Works Department sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$60,310

$74,060

$94,360

$122,290

$154,630

Public Works Department median · $141,544

The bar is the range of annual wages for Accountants and Auditors across every employer in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Public Works Department’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. Public Works Department’s median base salary is 69% above that national figure, about the 89th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$56,020

$67,020

$83,680

$109,810

$144,090

Public Works Department median · $141,544

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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA range relative to the national one.

Median total compensation for this role at Public Works Department is $244,372, 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 departments

This role across Los Angeles County

Accounting Officer III is held in 11 Los Angeles County departments. In Public Works Department, the median of $244,372 ranks #2 of 11.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Parks & Recreation Department

$246,056 · 1

Harbor-Ucla Medical Center

$242,622 · 2

$238,746 · 1

$234,278 · 3

$232,487 · 1

$230,420 · 1

$229,666 · 8

Treasurer & Tax Collector

$229,382 · 4

Registrar-Recorder and County Clerk

$229,212 · 1

Probation Department

$219,447 · 1

Median total compensation for the Accounting Officer III role in other Los Angeles Countydepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Accounting Officer beyond Los Angeles County

This role is reported in 4 jurisdictions. In Los Angeles County, the median of $170,134 ranks #1 of 4. See Accounting Officer across all of Los Angeles County →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

District of Columbia

$150,436 · 17

Minnesota

$67,307 · 144

California

$64,264 · 1,220

Median total compensation for comparable Accounting Officer roles 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