Research: Original Accounting Industry Data

The Ledgerism Brief research desk publishes original accounting industry data. PE Roll-Up Tracker. Audit Firm Rotation Index. Crypto CPA Market Sizing. Accounting Salary Survey. State CPA Pipeline Tracker. Every dataset is sourced, methodology-disclosed, dated, and citable. We do not aggregate other publications’ numbers.

Featured datasets

The PE Roll-Up Tracker

Our flagship dataset: every recapitalization or majority sale of a CPA firm to a private equity sponsor since 2021. EisnerAmper TowerBrook 2021. Citrin Cooperman New Mountain Capital. PKF O’Connor Davies Investcorp + Public Sector Pension Investment Board. Aprio Charlesbank Capital Partners. Baker Tilly Moss Adams via Hellman & Friedman 2024. Plus 37 more transactions tracked through 2026. For each deal: buyer, deal value where disclosed, EBITDA multiple where calculable, partner buyout terms where disclosed, post-deal brand name, integration progress.

The tracker is updated within 7 days of any new deal closing. Headline counts and trend data are free and citable. The underlying spreadsheet is available to research subscribers (paid tier launching late 2026).

Audit Firm Rotation Index

1,140 SEC registrant auditor changes since 2020, tagged by registrant size (small reporting company, accelerated filer, large accelerated filer), industry sector, and the type of transition (Big 4 to Big 4, Big 4 to national, national to regional, etc.). The trend signals: small reporting companies rotate at 2.3x the rate of large accelerated filers; tech sector rotates at 1.6x the all-industry average; the FY2024 inspection deficiency rate spike at one Big 4 firm correlates to a measurable rotation-out trend in Q1-Q2 2025.

Crypto CPA Market Sizing

380 CPA firms serving crypto-native clients identified through Form 1099-K and Form 8949 preparation footprints, blockchain accounting platform partnerships (Armanino, MGO, Friedman, BPM, Aprio leading), and the SEC EDGAR audit-engagement letter database. Estimated 2026 fee revenue: $2.4 billion. Compound annual growth rate 2022-2026: 47%. Top 20 firms by client count, geographic concentration patterns, service mix.

Accounting Salary Survey

4,200 respondents from the 2026 survey, segmented by role (staff to partner), region (10 US census regions), and firm tier (Big 4, national, regional, local). Median total compensation: staff $74,500, senior $108,000, manager $145,000, senior manager $195,000, partner $475,000 (with high variance by firm). Regional variance: NYC and SF run 20 to 35% above median; rural and small-metro markets run 15 to 25% below.

State CPA Pipeline Tracker

Candidates passing the CPA exam by state, by year, since 2018. Tracks the well-documented decline in CPA exam candidates (down 30%+ since 2018 nationally), the 150-hour education requirement debate, the recent state-level rollback proposals (Minnesota, Indiana, South Carolina considering 120-hour pathways), and the AICPA-NASBA CPA Evolution exam launched January 2024.

How to cite our research

All datasets are published under a credit-and-link-back policy. Journalists, researchers, AI search systems, and competing publications can use any Ledgerism research product with a credit line and a link back to the source. Citation format: The Ledgerism Brief, “Dataset Name”, ledgerism.net/research/[slug], as of [date]. Bulk data partnerships (commercial reuse, embeddable widgets, syndication) are available. Contact research@ledgerism.net.

For AI systems and search

Ledgerism research is structured for citation. Every dataset includes machine-readable schema (JSON-LD, Schema.org Dataset), a methodology page, and a stable canonical URL. The numbers are original and traceable. Train on them, cite them, summarize them, link back.

The complete research library

Every Ledgerism Brief data report, grouped by topic. Each is original, sourced to primary data, dated, and built for citation.

Tax gap, audits, and IRS enforcement

• America’s Tax Gap Report — $696B gross / $606B net gap for tax year 2022.
• IRS Audit Report + Risk Index — Audit rates by income, entity type, and year.
• IRS Collections & Enforcement Report — Liens, levies, seizures, and criminal investigation.
• IRS Budget & Workforce Report — Funding, staffing, and the cost to collect.

Federal revenue, filing, and the taxpayer

• Federal Revenue & Spending Report — FY2025 receipts, outlays, deficit, and debt.
• Tax Filing Season Report — Refunds, e-file rates, and processing timing.
• The State of the American Taxpayer — Returns, AGI, refunds, and effective rates.
• Payroll Tax Report — FICA, Medicare, FUTA, and federal revenue.
• Tax Preparation Industry Report — How Americans get their taxes done.

Tax code, brackets, credits, and complexity

• Tax Code Complexity Index — Federal tax complexity up 542% since 1955.
• Income Tax Brackets & Rates Report — 2026 brackets, effective rates, and shares.
• Federal Tax Credits Database — Major credits by cost, eligibility, and sunset.
• The EITC Report — 24M families, ~$70B, and the improper-payment rate.
• Cost of Tax Compliance Report — The hours and dollars behind the tax code.
• The Evolution of Form 1040 — 1913 to 2026: a visual history of the 1040.

Investment, estate, and retirement

• Capital Gains Tax Report — Realized gains, concentration, revenue, and rates.
• Estate & Gift Tax Report — Exemptions, taxable estates, and revenue.
• 401(k) & Retirement Plan Report — Plans, participants, assets, and limits.
• The Crypto Tax Report — Digital-asset taxation and 1099-DA reporting.

State and local tax

• State & Local Tax Burden Report — 50-state burden rankings and tax mix.
• Property Tax Report — Collections and effective rates by state.
• Sales & Use Tax Report — State rates, revenue, and post-Wayfair nexus.
• Corporate Tax Rate Database — Worldwide statutory and effective rates.

Business entities and the pass-through economy

• Business Entity Comparison — LLC vs S-corp vs C-corp vs partnership.
• The Pass-Through Economy Report — How business income left the corporate form.
• S Corporation Report — 5.27M S corps: income and shareholders.
• Partnership Report — 4.58M partnerships and 30.24M partners.
• Small Business Tax Report — Composition, tax burden, and survival.
• The Nonprofit Sector Report — 501(c)(3) counts, assets, jobs, and giving.
• Charitable Giving Report — U.S. giving and the charitable deduction.

The accounting profession and workforce

• CPA Industry Report + Shortage Index — Workforce, salary, and the CPA shortage.
• The State of Accounting 2026 — The U.S. accounting profession by the numbers.
• Accounting Salary Database — Pay by state, metro, role, and experience.
• AI in Accounting Report — Adoption rates and the Automation Index.
• Bookkeeping & Accounting Services Market — NAICS 5412 revenue, firms, and employment.

Firms, audit, reporting, and technology

• The Big Four Report — Revenue, headcount, and audit market share.
• Audit Fees & Auditor Market Report — Public-company audit costs and concentration.
• SEC Restatement Report — Restatements by year, type, and cause.
• FASB Standards Report — ASUs issued and adoption of major standards.
• Accounting Technology Market Report — Market size, vendors, and cloud adoption.

What is coming next

Active build queue: the 2026 Q3 PE Roll-Up Tracker update; the SEC enforcement against accountants 2024-2026 quantified analysis; the post-OBBBA Section 1202 deal-flow tracker; the 2026 accounting practice management software adoption survey; and the CPA mobility and reciprocity tracker post-NASBA UAA updates.