Finance & Accounting Jobs in Los Angeles, CA

In Los Angeles the biggest finance employers are not only banks: USC, UCLA Health, Cedars-Sinai and the studios run large accounting and analyst teams alongside the branch networks of Citi, Wells Fargo and Chase. The guides below cover every finance and accounting role in Los Angeles, who is hiring and what it pays.

Accountant Jobs Bank Teller Jobs Finance and Banking Jobs

Why Finance & Accounting Work Is Different in Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, finance and accounting jobs follow the city's largest institutions rather than a single financial district. The universities are among the steadiest employers: USC hires accountants for its payroll office on the University Park campus and runs its own credit union branches there, while UCLA and UCLA Health hire senior accountants, auditors and financial analysts in Westwood. Health systems and health plans add many more finance roles, from Cedars-Sinai's analysts in Beverly Grove to L.A. Care Health Plan's auditors and revenue analysts downtown and Kaiser Permanente's patient finance counselors at West Los Angeles Medical Center.

The entertainment economy is the second layer. Sony Pictures in Culver City and studio finance teams in Burbank hire FP&A analysts and accountants who can manage multi-entity books, and staffing firms such as Robert Half fill contract and permanent staff accountant jobs for music venues, nonprofits and South Bay manufacturers. On the retail side, Citi, Wells Fargo and Chase staff branches from Los Feliz and Miracle Mile to Mar Vista, Westchester, North Hollywood and Reseda, and credit unions such as USC's and Gain Federal Credit Union in Burbank hire member service staff. With most Angelenos speaking a language other than English at home, bilingual candidates have an edge at the counter.

Top Finance & Accounting Employers in Los Angeles

These employers have posted finance, banking or accounting jobs in Los Angeles on their own career sites:

  • Citi - hires tellers, universal bankers and personal bankers at branches across the city.
  • Wells Fargo - posts part-time teller jobs on the Westside.
  • Chase - hires associate bankers for Los Angeles branches including Mar Vista.
  • University of Southern California - hires accountants in Payroll Services and member staff for the USC Credit Union at University Park.
  • UCLA Health - hires senior accountants for general ledger close and reconciliations.
  • Cedars-Sinai - the Beverly Grove medical center hires financial analysts and revenue cycle staff.
  • L.A. Care Health Plan - the downtown health plan hires financial analysts and financial compliance auditors.

Finance & Accounting Career Paths in Los Angeles

  • Banking and branch service - Bank Teller, plus the Finance and Banking overview. The fastest way in without a degree, with a ladder from teller to universal banker, personal banker and branch manager.
  • Accounting - Accountant. Degree-based work in university, health system, studio and corporate finance offices, with the CPA license as the step up to senior audit and controller jobs.
  • Financial analysis - covered in the Finance and Banking guide. Budgeting, forecasting and FP&A work at health plans, hospitals and studios, usually after a bachelor's degree and a few years of experience.

How to Start a Finance & Accounting Career in Los Angeles

  • No license for tellers and clerks - California does not license bank tellers or accounting clerks; banks and credit unions run background checks, and some add credit checks.
  • NMLS registration - bankers who take mortgage loan applications must be registered with the NMLS under the federal SAFE Act, which banks such as Citi list as a job requirement.
  • CPA license - issued by the California Board of Accountancy. The current route is 150 semester units plus 12 months of experience and the Uniform CPA Exam; from January 1, 2027, AB 1175 adds a route of a bachelor's degree with an accounting concentration plus two years of experience.
  • Los Angeles Trade-Technical College - Accounting AA and Accounting Clerk certificate in downtown Los Angeles.
  • East Los Angeles College - Accounting AA and Certificate of Achievement, including a basic bookkeeping course.
  • Cal State LA and USC - Cal State LA's BS in Business Administration with an accounting option, and the USC Leventhal School of Accounting's BS Accounting, BS Accounting and Finance, Master of Accounting and Master of Business Taxation.

Only NMLS registration for loan originators and the CPA license for practicing as a certified public accountant are legal requirements; degrees, certificates and bilingual skills are employer preferences that decide who gets hired and how fast they move up.

Finance & Accounting Salaries in Los Angeles

  • Entry - about $18 to $28 an hour for tellers, member service staff and accounting clerks; the metro median for tellers is about $22.28 and for bookkeeping and accounting clerks about $28.17.
  • Mid - roughly $60,000 to $122,000 a year for accountants, personal bankers and financial analysts; the metro median is about $94,360 for accountants and $102,260 for financial analysts.
  • Senior - $122,000 to $250,000 or more for senior accountants, controllers and finance managers; financial managers in the metro earn a median of about $175,310.

These are estimates from federal wage data for the Los Angeles metro and pay ranges posted by local employers. Posted pay runs from $20.00 to $23.73 an hour for a part-time Citi teller to $73,000 to $149,600 for a senior accountant at UCLA Health. Universities and health systems publish pay ranges and tend to hire into structured job levels, and studio finance jobs such as Sony's are often hybrid. Inside city limits, no job can pay less than the Los Angeles minimum wage of $18.42 an hour.

Frequently Asked Questions

What finance and accounting jobs can I get in Los Angeles without a degree?

Bank teller, credit union member service and patient finance jobs usually need a high school diploma plus cash handling or customer service experience. Citi, Wells Fargo, Chase and the USC Credit Union all hire at that level, and an accounting clerk certificate from Los Angeles Trade-Tech can move you into bookkeeping and accounting support.

Who are the biggest finance employers in Los Angeles?

Beyond the national banks, the largest finance and accounting teams sit inside universities, health systems and studios: USC, UCLA and UCLA Health, Cedars-Sinai, Kaiser Permanente, L.A. Care Health Plan and Sony Pictures all post finance jobs on their own career sites.

Do I need a CPA license to work in accounting in Los Angeles?

No. Most staff and senior accountant jobs ask for a bachelor's degree and experience. The CPA, issued by the California Board of Accountancy, is needed to practice as a certified public accountant and is preferred for senior audit, controller and FP&A roles.

How much do finance jobs pay in Los Angeles?

Tellers earn a metro median of about $22.28 an hour, accountants about $94,360 a year, financial analysts about $102,260 and financial managers about $175,310. Posted ranges at local employers generally fall within those bands.

Where can I study accounting or finance in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and East Los Angeles College offer affordable accounting degrees and certificates. For a bachelor's or master's, Cal State LA and the USC Leventhal School of Accounting are two of the main options in the city.

Ready to get started? Browse all current finance and accounting job openings in Los Angeles, CA on LocalJobPage.