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Ernst & Young Tops Vault’s Accounting 50 (2013)

Imagine my surprise when a link to the 2013 Vault Accounting 50 found its way to our tip box. It comes to us five months earlier than last year and I really didn't expect to see all of the Big 4 in the type five, especially the likes of E&Y and KPMG who were doing well to break the top 25 in the 2012 ranking. But really, after last year's upset by Grant Thornton, maybe we should get used to firms coming out of nowhere to land a top ten spot.

This year, Ernst & Young did better than that. Like GT in the 2012 ranking, E&Y came from 22 last year to top this year's list. KPMG also made a big jump from 23 to 5, while Deloitte and PwC maintained their presence in the top five. Derek Loosvelt explains E&Y's rise to new numero uno thusly: 

[T]he firm's prestige ranking rose this year versus last (from No. 3 to No. 2), and the firm outranked its fellow Big 4 firms (Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG) in firm culture, satisfaction, work/life balance, and compensation.

Here's your top 25 in its entirety: 

1 (22) Ernst & Young

2 (1) Grant Thornton

3 (3) Deloitte

4 (2) PwC

5 (23) KPMG

6 (27) Plante Moran

7 (6) Moss Adams

8 (16) Baker Tilly Virchow Krause

9 (4) Rothstein Kass

10 (11) Eide Bailly

11 (32) Reznick Group

12 (8) Friedman

13 (7) Withum Smith + Brown

14 (5) Dixon Hughes Goodman

15 (14) Elliott Davis

16 (17) Armanino McKenna

17 (13) Berdon

18 (12) SS&G

19 (20) Schenk Schenck

20 (46) Frank Rimerman

21 (9) Marcum

22 (18) CBIZ

23 (40) Blackman Kallick

24 (21) Cherry Bakaert & Holland

25 (19) Marks Paneth & Shron

In addition to E&Y and KPMG, you can see big moves by Plante Moran, Reznick Group, and Frank Rimerman; all three jumped at least 20 spots. Marcum was your biggest loser, getting knocked down 12 spots. We'll get to the bottom 25 and more of the rankings throughout the week but for now, discuss top 25 as you see fit.

Accounting Firms Rankings 2013: Vault Accounting 50 [Vault, Methodology]