No Surprise: The Best Firms Pay More

But they bill for it too.

Annual compensation. Source: INSIDE Public Accounting via CPA Trendlines

The best firms, according to INSIDE Public Accounting, start paying more from the first day and from the bottom up. For instance, IPA’s Best of the Best pay new graduates about $55,000, compared to $50,000 at their competitors — a 10% advantage that generally carries through every job level.