Memphis, TN (population: 662,989) has four CPA schools within its city limits. Rhodes College, the highest ranked school in the city with a CPA program, has a total student population of 1,673. It is the 123rd highest ranked school in the USA and the 2nd highest in the state of Tennessee (#1 is Vanderbilt University).
CPA students from Memphis schools who go on to become certified public accountants, accountants, finance accountants, tax accountants, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 1,106,980 people working as accountants and auditors alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $67,430. Also, Tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents make on average $53,800 per year and there are about 69,500 of them employed in the US today. In fact, in the Memphis-MS-AR area alone, there are 820 employed tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents earning an average salary of $47,720. Accountants and auditors in this area earn $61,520/yr and there are 3,350 employed.
Memphis lies in Shelby county, which is one of the 26 counties in Tennessee. Overall, the Memphis-MS-AR area has 605,630 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 1.2% unemployment rate, $18.93/hr average worker wage, and a $39,380 average annual salary. Thus, about 5.538 out of every 1000 jobs in Memphis are held by accountants and auditors, and 1.351/1000 are held by tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents.
Of the 4 CPA schools in Memphis, only 1 has a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, DeVry University-Tennessee comes out as the most expensive ($26,482/yr) for CPA students, with Southwest Tennessee Community College as the lowest, reported at only $4,338/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Memphis |
| Southaven | MS | 47,625 | 1 | 27.9087 | 11 | 9.7 miles |
| Bartlett | TN | 47,744 | 0 | - | 0 | 12.3 miles |
| Senatobia | MS | - | 1 | 17.4796 | 114 | 34.1 miles |
| Jonesboro | AR | 66,734 | 1 | 24.4204 | 8 | 62.3 miles |
| State University | AR | - | 1 | 57.8251 | 135 | 63.1 miles |