Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay in the United States

Goes furthest in District of Columbia
·Office and Administrative Support·
1.4M jobs
Biggest filer Temple University--A Commonwealth University3 certified filings on public record
$24.36/hr median
1,373,680 employed
-6% to 2035
70% AI exposure
Some college, no degree
54 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete. Perform any combination of routine calculating, posting, and verifying duties to obtain primary financial data for use in maintaining accounting records. May also check the accuracy of figures, calculations, and postings pertaining to business transactions recorded by other workers.

Where the money actually goes furthest

District of Columbia pays the most both before and after cost of living — $65,180, worth $59,308 once local prices are counted.

Pay by state

54 states and territories publish a median for this occupation. Switch the ranking to see how much the order changes.

Adjusted for what things cost in that state.

Median pay for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
District of Columbia$31.34/hr$65,180$59,308$62,2921,790
Connecticut$28.83/hr$59,970$57,880$57,42114,930
Massachusetts$28.77/hr$59,830$56,571$56,83829,110
North Dakota$23.90/hr$49,710$55,879$49,7104,290
Vermont$26.31/hr$54,720$55,859$53,0452,950
Minnesota$26.25/hr$54,600$55,364$52,35026,850
Alaska$27.13/hr$56,430$55,128$56,4304,580
Iowa$23.17/hr$48,180$54,899$46,90314,020
Washington$28.18/hr$58,620$54,779$58,62032,930
New York$27.96/hr$58,160$53,891$55,56684,280
New Jersey$28.03/hr$58,300$53,579$56,57137,550
Wisconsin$24.20/hr$50,340$53,496$48,76925,960
California$28.48/hr$59,230$53,495$57,431151,870
Missouri$23.07/hr$47,990$52,840$46,59121,400
Ohio$23.47/hr$48,810$52,613$48,18445,140
Oklahoma$22.20/hr$46,180$52,572$44,47616,490
Kansas$22.74/hr$47,290$52,503$44,93915,380
Tennessee$23.16/hr$48,180$52,443$48,18037,680
Colorado$25.96/hr$54,000$52,401$52,32526,140
South Dakota$22.28/hr$46,340$52,308$46,34010,200
Oregon$25.99/hr$54,060$52,302$49,87021,710
Nebraska$22.65/hr$47,110$52,286$45,56910,050
New Mexico$23.12/hr$48,080$52,141$46,8367,780
Rhode Island$25.61/hr$53,280$52,092$51,6774,570
Maine$24.28/hr$50,510$52,045$48,3407,390
Delaware$24.89/hr$51,780$51,878$49,4734,600
Wyoming$23.03/hr$47,910$51,688$47,9103,480
Kentucky$22.38/hr$46,550$51,630$44,81423,480
Georgia$23.73/hr$49,350$51,251$47,41138,700
Indiana$22.99/hr$47,820$51,237$46,41529,910
South Carolina$23.05/hr$47,940$51,136$46,55019,980
Virginia$24.82/hr$51,620$51,058$49,39831,990
Maryland$25.74/hr$53,540$51,009$51,17718,170
Michigan$23.55/hr$48,980$50,904$47,13637,550
Louisiana$21.58/hr$44,890$50,889$43,91818,980
North Carolina$23.04/hr$47,930$50,810$46,43448,760
Idaho$23.23/hr$48,310$50,591$46,5239,540
Texas$23.52/hr$48,910$50,391$48,910122,400
Nevada$24.22/hr$50,380$50,390$50,38015,180
New Hampshire$25.22/hr$52,450$50,350$52,4507,180
Alabama$21.46/hr$44,640$50,258$42,59819,890
Arizona$24.32/hr$50,590$50,248$49,69022,690
Utah$23.77/hr$49,440$50,010$47,19012,650
Montana$22.73/hr$47,270$49,941$45,5956,980
Pennsylvania$23.29/hr$48,440$49,646$46,95248,920
Illinois$23.83/hr$49,560$49,579$47,24451,470
Arkansas$20.60/hr$42,840$49,275$41,34612,510
Mississippi$20.60/hr$42,840$49,269$41,05612,160
West Virginia$20.62/hr$42,890$47,921$41,5967,620
Florida$23.72/hr$49,330$47,703$49,33088,670
Hawaii$23.43/hr$48,730$44,320$46,4555,220
Virgin Islands$22.35/hr$46,490Not publishedNot published280
Guam$16.00/hr$33,280Not publishedNot published880
Puerto Rico$13.80/hr$28,700Not publishedNot published6,650

National median for comparison: $50,670. “Worth locally” divides pay by the area’s price level, so a figure above the headline means money goes further there than the US average.

$50,670/year

$24.36/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$24,450$77,700

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

70%High exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

The two methods disagree — treat any single figure for this job with caution.

Method 1 — ability mix56%

Cognitive share of O*NET ability importance (element families 1.A.1–1.A.4), O*NET 31.0

Method 2 — task content84%

Importance-weighted share of O*NET tasks classed as language or information work, O*NET 31.0

What this does and does not mean

Exposure means a model could plausibly do a meaningful share of the tasks in this job. It is not a forecast that the job disappears, and it says nothing about whether any employer will actually automate it.

For what the labour market expects, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this occupation to change by -6% between 2025 and 2035, with about 144,100 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.
  • Prepare and process payroll information.
  • Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes.
  • Prepare bank deposits by compiling data from cashiers, verifying and balancing receipts, and sending cash, checks, or other forms of payment to banks.
  • Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.
  • Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents.

Amber marks language and information work. Green marks tasks that need a person in a place.

What named employers said they would pay

From certified US Department of Labor visa filings. These are wages employers committed to for sponsored roles — not company-wide averages, and not necessarily what everyone in the job earns. Cells with fewer than three filings are withheld so no individual’s pay is identifiable.

EmployerRole as filedState25thMedian75thFilings
Temple University--A Commonwealth UniversityGrant AnalystPA$58,885$60,770$60,7703

Where bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks move next

Occupations that share most of this one’s skills, with the pay difference and the change in AI exposure.

Location

San Diego, CA, United States of America (SAN-San Diego Intl.)

Photograph by World Sikh Organization of Canada.