Dallas Controller Jobs Ask for a CPA Almost Every Time and Pay Like a Mid-Pack Metro

Dallas controller postings say CPA in 54 of the 62 controller-family openings we're tracking right now, which is 87%, and the median pay midpoint on the ones that show a number lands around $130,000, which sits a long way under Phoenix, Austin, Chicago and Boston. So the Dallas-Fort Worth controller market asks for the credential almost universally and pays like a big, busy, mid-pack city, and if you're weighing a move or a promotion there, that combination is the whole story. The data comes from the Audit Friendly job database as of October 2026 - we pull accounting and finance postings daily, strip out duplicates and the recruiter-inflated stuff, and link straight to the employer's career page - and I'll be upfront that only 19 of those 62 postings print a salary, so treat the pay numbers as a solid hint and not a verdict.

How many controller jobs are there in Dallas-Fort Worth?

Right now we have 62 controller-family postings in the metro across 53 different employers, split into 43 controller roles, 13 assistant controller roles and 6 senior controller roles, and the 53 matters more than the 62 because no single company is hoovering up the openings the way Amazon does in Seattle. Manufacturing shows up in the text of 15 postings, public accounting in 13, healthcare in 12, real estate and distribution in 10 each and construction in 9, with plenty of overlap. Zero of the 62 are remote and 15 mention hybrid, so you're expected to show up, and if remote is non-negotiable for you the remote accounting jobs page beats a Dallas city filter.

What do controller jobs in Dallas pay?

Across the 19 postings that print a range, the median midpoint is $130,000, with the middle half running from about $118,600 to $153,750. Narrow it to straight controller titles and 17 postings give a median midpoint of $131,500 and a spread up to $162,500, while the two assistant controller postings with pay sit right around $127,500, so the gap between the assistant seat and the top seat looks thinner here than you'd hope. The same math on controller postings elsewhere gives Chicago and Boston about $152,500, Denver about $148,750, and Phoenix and Austin about $166,250, with Houston at about $128,750 and Atlanta about $130,000. I'd hold two things at once on that list: Houston and Atlanta sit on samples of 8 and 5 postings with pay, so don't tattoo those anywhere, and Dallas looking cheap next to Phoenix might partly reflect who chooses to post a range, but with this many employers I'd bet the pattern holds as more of them show numbers. Our controller salary benchmarks post has the national breakdown by company size and industry.

Do you need a CPA to be a controller in Dallas?

You'll want one, because 54 of 62 postings mention it, but the wording matters and most of them don't make it a hard gate - when I check for explicit must-have language, only around 6 postings phrase it that way, and the rest say preferred, a plus, or list it next to a long string of other things. That squares with what we found nationally in our look at which accounting jobs actually require a CPA, where the credential is demanded far less often than people assume and then pays off when it is. If you're in Texas and still on the licensing path, the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy lets you sit for the exam with 120 semester hours and a bachelor's degree, but certification requires 150 semester hours plus an approved ethics course, so check your own transcript before you assume you're two years from a controller seat. That damn hours rule trips up more careers than any interview does, and it's bullshit how rarely anyone checks it until the offer is on the table.

What else do Dallas controller postings ask for?

Experience, and a lot of it - roughly 37 of the 62 name five or more years - plus owning the month-end close, which appears in 33 postings. NetSuite shows up in 8 postings, Oracle in 7, SAP in 5 and Intacct in 2, so one ERP known deeply plus fluency in a second beats any single logo, and only 4 postings mention SEC reporting or a 10-K, which makes the public-company controller seat the exception. The typical seat is the lower-middle-market finance function, the person who closes the books, talks to the bank and explains the numbers to an owner who doesn't speak accounting, and that's a hell of a job if you like being useful.

What I'd do

If you're a senior accountant or accounting manager eyeing a controller seat in Dallas, pick the industry first, since manufacturing, healthcare and distribution each want a different flavor of cost accounting and each pays a premium for people who've done it before. Get your CPA path sorted early, because finding out at the offer stage is a pain in the ass, then build a clean story about a close you shortened or a system you moved, and be willing to take an assistant controller title at a growing company if the owner is ready to hand you the top seat in two years - that's a normal path here and it beats waiting for a perfect posting. Texas also has no personal income tax, per the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, so a $130,000 offer takes home more than the same number in a lot of other states, which is worth running the math on before you compare it against Chicago. Then go see what's open on the Audit Friendly job board, where every listing links to the employer's own career page, and if you want the longer climb mapped out, start with how to become a controller in Austin, since the path looks similar a few hours south.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a controller make in Dallas?

In the Audit Friendly database as of October 2026, controller postings in Dallas-Fort Worth that print a salary show a median midpoint of about $131,500, with the middle half between roughly $118,600 and $162,500. Only 17 controller postings in the metro currently show pay, so expect the real market to move around that number.

Are there remote controller jobs in Dallas?

Almost none. None of the 62 controller-family postings we track in the metro are remote and 15 mention hybrid, so Dallas controller roles are overwhelmingly in-person.

Do Dallas controller jobs require a CPA?

Most mention it - 54 of 62 postings - but only a small minority use must-have language, and many treat it as preferred. In Texas you can sit for the exam with 120 semester hours, but certification requires 150, according to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.

What industries hire controllers in Dallas-Fort Worth?

Manufacturing, public accounting, healthcare, real estate, distribution and construction all show up repeatedly in posting text, across 53 different employers, so the market is diversified and no single company dominates.

Is a controller salary in Dallas better than in Chicago or Phoenix?

On posted ranges, no. Chicago controller postings run about $152,500 at the median midpoint and Phoenix about $166,250 versus roughly $131,500 in Dallas, though Texas has no personal income tax, which narrows the take-home gap.

If you're sitting on the fence about a controller move, pull up three Dallas postings this week and write down what each one asks you to own in the first 90 days - that exercise tells you more about your fit than any salary number will.