BLS OEWS May 2025
Controller salary, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Financial Headhunters presents official occupation data and the limitations behind this role metro resource. Read the mapping and reference period before using any figure in a hiring decision.
This is what we do all day: recruit accounting, finance, banking and insurance professionals.
The median annual wage for Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL is $157,480 (BLS, May 2025, Financial Managers, SOC 11-3031). That is $9,090 (5.5%) below the U.S. median of $166,570.
Broader occupation
BLS reports Controller within a broader occupation. It does not publish separate wages for this exact title, credentials, seniority or industry. Compare the listed SOC duties with your actual role before using this range.
| Percentile | Wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $83,070 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th | $111,910 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median | $157,480 | Half earned less and half earned more. |
| 75th | $204,450 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th | $294,510 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $171,330 | Average wage across all workers. |
| Percentile | Wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $94,310 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th | $125,490 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median | $166,570 | Half earned less and half earned more. |
| 75th | $219,980 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th | $323,270 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $186,910 | Average wage across all workers. |
What BLS wages include and exclude
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
- Employment, area
- 8,500
- Location quotient
- 1.08
What changed since May 2024
| Release | Median |
|---|---|
| BLS OEWS May 2024 | $147,920 |
| BLS OEWS May 2025 | $157,480 |
The published medians differ by $9,560. Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2024 and May 2025. This is not an annualized growth claim. Area definitions and the workers represented can change.
What belongs in the pay comparison
OEWS includes straight-time gross wages, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, nonproduction bonuses and employer-paid benefits. A discretionary annual, retention or sign-on bonus is not the same as a production bonus. Ask what earns each payment before comparing the offer with this table. Equity is separate from the cash wage shown here. State those terms alongside base pay; the BLS percentile does not price them for you.
Pay up and down the role ladder
BLS uses a different occupation for these related jobs. A higher percentile is not a promotion level. Compare the duties and the SOC before comparing the wages.
- Junior Accountant (Accountant I, entry-level Staff Accountant): SOC 13-2011 Accountants and Auditors
- Senior Accountant: SOC 13-2011 Accountants and Auditors
Recruiter's read
Qualitative view from our desk. Not BLS data.
For Controller, discuss the work behind these requirements: CPA preferred; owns close, GAAP statements and audit PBC list; ERP depth. Ask what the person completed themselves and what a manager or specialist reviewed. A system name on a resume does not establish depth in that workflow. The BLS figure describes the listed occupation, not a separately measured rate for this exact opening.
Common questions
What is the median annual wage for Controller?
$157,480 in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, FL, based on BLS May 2025 data for Financial Managers (SOC 11-3031).
What does the middle half of workers earn?
The 25th percentile is $111,910 and the 75th percentile is $204,450 in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, FL. That is where the middle half of workers in this occupation fall.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimates 8,500 workers in Financial Managers in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, FL.
How much do the highest paid workers earn?
The 90th percentile is $294,510. 10% of workers earned more.
Does BLS publish this exact title?
BLS reports Controller within a broader occupation. It does not publish separate wages for this exact title, credentials, seniority or industry. Compare the listed SOC duties with your actual role before using this range.
Related areas and roles
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Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, from BLS data.
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BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. These are published occupation estimates, not a quote for an exact niche title. Tool calculations use BLS values or your inputs, not predictions.
Reading this page's BLS evidence
What do the released numbers measure?
For Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, the May 2025 OEWS row records a annual median of $157,480 under Controller (SOC 11-3031, Financial Managers). The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL mapping is a broader occupation, not a separately measured wage for this hiring title; the occupation name attached to this median is Financial Managers. The released Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL employment field is 8,500 jobs, which describes the SOC rather than a count of candidates available to take your opening.
How much room is inside the published band?
The middle-half annual band for Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL runs from $111,910 at P25 to $204,450 at P75, a width of $92,540. For Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, the lower half of that band covers $45,570, while the upper half covers $46,970; the upper side therefore accounts for more of the middle-half spread. An offer for Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL can move within that published band without justifying an exact percentile claim, and these points do not identify junior, senior or manager pay grades.
How does this estimate compare with the national figure?
The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median is $9,090 below the national Financial Managers median of $166,570. For Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, that comparison uses the same SOC, release and annual unit rather than mixing a local title-specific claim with a national occupation total. The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL location quotient is 1.08, an employment-concentration measure that cannot explain this wage difference or be used as a cost-of-living adjustment.
Which other metro estimates can you compare?
The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL comparison uses the two nearest published metropolitan internal points: Wildwood-The Villages, FL, where the annual median for Financial Managers is $149,880; Homosassa Springs, FL, where the annual median for Financial Managers is $128,540. These Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL neighbors are selected only from metros with a published median for the same SOC, so suppression can change which comparisons are available. For Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, the geography comes from Census Gazetteer internal points where available, not a claim about commuting time, recruiting reach or an employer's payroll policy.
What can the industry rows tell you?
Among the loaded national industry rows relevant to Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, the highest numeric annual medians are Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (NAICS 519000), $229,130; Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (NAICS 519200), $229,130. The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL industry comparison excludes top-coded and suppressed medians from exact ranking and is limited to the industries loaded for this brand, not every possible industry. BLS does not provide an industry-by-Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL wage cut in this dataset, so the Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL national industry figures cannot be labeled local industry premiums.
What changed in the published median?
For Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, the prior 2024-05 median was $147,920, compared with $157,480 in 2025-05; the released medians differ by $9,560 upward. This Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL comparison is subtraction of published medians, not an annualized growth forecast or a claim that the same workers received that change. The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL year-over-year cells use the same SOC and area code, but changes in the surveyed employment mix can still affect what the two medians describe.
What belongs outside the wage budget?
The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL annual median of $157,480 is an OEWS wage measure, not a complete employer-cost budget. For Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, guaranteed pay and incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses belong inside the OEWS definition, so adding all commission again would double-count a component the survey includes. Overtime, nonproduction bonuses and employer benefit costs are excluded from the Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL wage definition; budget those separately when relevant, but this Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL row supplies no dollar amounts for them, equity or relocation.
Questions about this estimate
What does Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL's $157,480 median actually measure?
For Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, this is the May 2025 annual median of Financial Managers, SOC 11-3031. The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL broader mapping does not establish a separately measured employer-specific rate for the opening.
How wide is the published offer band for Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
For Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, P75 minus P25 is $92,540. The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL endpoints are $111,910 and $204,450, not experience-level labels or an interpolated candidate percentile.
Can the industry figures be treated as Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL's local rates?
The loaded Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL industry rows describe national Financial Managers wages. The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL rows are not an industry-by-Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL breakdown, so no local industry premium is calculated.
What changed between releases for Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL annual medians were $147,920 in 2024-05 and $157,480 in 2025-05. The Controller in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL difference is $9,560; this is not a forecast or a same-worker raise.