American Accountants in 1880

Abstract Although much has been written about the foundation and maturation of the early US public accountancy profession, little is known about the community of American accountants that existed prior to the main foundational events of the 1880s and 1890s. Using data extracted from the 1880 US Census, this study provides a contextualised review of American accountants in that year. Contextual factors include the population and manufacturing economy of the US in 1880, and other accounting service providers such as auditors and bookkeepers. The study reveals a very small community of accountants relative to the US population and manufacturing economy, occupational and economic distinctions between accountants, auditors and bookkeepers, little evidence of public accountancy as a significant occupation, the presence of a small female subset of the accountant community, and a significant proportion of accountants associated with lower socio-economic classifications and immigration. The evidence of the study is consistent with contemporary comments recorded by British public accountants and American bookkeepers.