Houston-area business data / Original analysis

CPA offices per 1,000 businesses fell in both Harris and Fort Bend counties from 2018 to 2023

Are there more or fewer CPA offices for each business in the Houston area than there were five years ago? We counted them in the U.S. Census Bureau's County Business Patterns for Harris and Fort Bend counties, every year from 2018 to 2023.

By Nguyen Accounting Group · Published October 10, 2026
Data years: 2018 to 2023 · Sources retrieved October 10, 2026

Harris County lost CPA offices while its business count grew

Harris County had 715 offices of certified public accountants in 2023, down from 776 in 2018. Over the same years its employer businesses grew 7.5%, from 103,417 to 111,215.

That moved the rate from 7.50 CPA offices per 1,000 employer businesses to 6.43.

CPA offices per 1,000 employer businesses

Harris 2018

7.50

Harris 2023

6.43

Fort Bend 2018

7.87

Fort Bend 2023

6.97

Offices of certified public accountants (NAICS 541211) per 1,000 employer establishments, Harris and Fort Bend counties, Texas, 2018 and 2023, from Census Bureau County Business Patterns data.

Fort Bend added CPA offices, but businesses grew faster

Fort Bend County went from 110 CPA offices in 2018 to 129 in 2023, a rise of 17.3%. Its business base grew 32.4% over the same years, from 13,982 to 18,519 employer establishments. So the rate still fell, from 7.87 to 6.97 per 1,000 businesses.

Bookkeeping and other accounting grew in both counties

The Census code for bookkeeping and other accounting services moved the other way. Fort Bend went from 103 such establishments to 166 (61.2%), and Harris County from 544 to 696 (27.9%).

Tax preparation offices changed less: Harris went from 483 to 490, and Fort Bend from 56 to 67.

Most CPA offices are small

In 2023, 493 of Harris County's 715 CPA offices had fewer than five employees. In Fort Bend it was 101 of 129.

What this means if you're looking for a CPA

The counts can't tell you how busy local firms are. They do show fewer CPA offices for each business than in 2018, so it pays to check a few things before you sign.

Ask who will sign your return, and check that person's license with the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.
Find out by what date the firm needs your documents to file on time, and what happens if you need an extension.
Ask whether the same firm can keep your books during the year, or whether you'll need a separate bookkeeper.

How we got these numbers

We downloaded the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns county files for each year from 2018 to 2023 and read the rows for Harris County (FIPS 48201) and Fort Bend County (FIPS 48157), Texas. We used the employer establishment count (est) for three industry codes: 541211 Offices of Certified Public Accountants; 541213 Tax Preparation Services; and 541219 Other Accounting Services, the code that includes bookkeeping services. The CSV also carries 5412, the full accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll group. The fewer-than-five-employees figures come from the file's n<5 column.

Industry establishments ÷ all employer establishments in the county × 1,000

For example, Fort Bend County in 2023: 129 ÷ 18,519 × 1,000 = 6.97. Percentage changes compare 2018 with 2023 and are rounded to one decimal place.

The 2023 County Business Patterns release is the latest the Census Bureau's dataset directory listed when we checked on October 10, 2026. These are 2023 counts, not 2026 counts.

What this study does not measure

Self-employed CPAs and bookkeepers. County Business Patterns covers businesses with paid employees. Sole proprietors with no staff are not in these counts.
Companies. An establishment is one business location. A firm with two offices counts twice.
Where clients are. Firms are counted where they are located. A firm may serve clients in other counties or states.
Demand, quality or prices. These are counts of business locations only.

Every county, industry and year

Employer establishments by county, industry and year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns; rates by Nguyen Accounting Group.
Year	County	Industry	Establishments	Fewer than 5 employees	All businesses	Per 1,000 businesses
2018	Harris County	CPA offices	776	542	103,417	7.50
2018	Harris County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	544	408	103,417	5.26
2018	Harris County	Tax preparation	483	340	103,417	4.67
2018	Fort Bend County	CPA offices	110	88	13,982	7.87
2018	Fort Bend County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	103	88	13,982	7.37
2018	Fort Bend County	Tax preparation	56	38	13,982	4.01
2019	Harris County	CPA offices	772	532	104,302	7.40
2019	Harris County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	549	409	104,302	5.26
2019	Harris County	Tax preparation	487	337	104,302	4.67
2019	Fort Bend County	CPA offices	113	89	14,535	7.77
2019	Fort Bend County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	109	94	14,535	7.50
2019	Fort Bend County	Tax preparation	67	48	14,535	4.61
2020	Harris County	CPA offices	777	531	105,710	7.35
2020	Harris County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	589	457	105,710	5.57
2020	Harris County	Tax preparation	525	369	105,710	4.97
2020	Fort Bend County	CPA offices	126	101	15,378	8.19
2020	Fort Bend County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	118	100	15,378	7.67
2020	Fort Bend County	Tax preparation	67	48	15,378	4.36
2021	Harris County	CPA offices	764	532	108,434	7.05
2021	Harris County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	631	478	108,434	5.82
2021	Harris County	Tax preparation	555	389	108,434	5.12
2021	Fort Bend County	CPA offices	133	106	16,335	8.14
2021	Fort Bend County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	144	123	16,335	8.82
2021	Fort Bend County	Tax preparation	67	47	16,335	4.10
2022	Harris County	CPA offices	761	533	109,874	6.93
2022	Harris County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	666	508	109,874	6.06
2022	Harris County	Tax preparation	487	349	109,874	4.43
2022	Fort Bend County	CPA offices	120	88	17,654	6.80
2022	Fort Bend County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	156	129	17,654	8.84
2022	Fort Bend County	Tax preparation	68	56	17,654	3.85
2023	Harris County	CPA offices	715	493	111,215	6.43
2023	Harris County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	696	527	111,215	6.26
2023	Harris County	Tax preparation	490	345	111,215	4.41
2023	Fort Bend County	CPA offices	129	101	18,519	6.97
2023	Fort Bend County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	166	141	18,519	8.96
2023	Fort Bend County	Tax preparation	67	50	18,519	3.62

The CSV download also includes the full NAICS 5412 group for both counties.

Sources and update record

U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns county files (ZIP), one per year: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. Release list: County Business Patterns datasets.

October 10, 2026: first publication. When the Census Bureau releases a newer year, this page is recalculated and reviewed before any figure changes. Spotted an error? Tell us.