Office and Administrative Support · SOC 43-3031

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Salary (2024) — Pay by Metro Area

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks earn a national median of $49,210 per year. Because pay tracks local labour markets, the same job ranges from $46,870 in the cheapest metro covered to $64,480 in the most expensive — a 38% gap for identical work. This page ranks 25 metro areas with released data.

US national median
$49,210
1,455,770 workers nationwide
Highest-paying metro
New York, NY
$59,170 median
Lowest-paying metro
Baltimore, MD
$52,720 median
Metro spread
$17,610
between best and worst metro

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay by metro area

Ranked by median annual wage among the metro areas with published estimates for this occupation. Local cost of living is not applied — a lower median in a cheaper metro can still leave more in your pocket.

Median hourly and annual wage for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks by metro area, 2024. Hourly shown as annual ÷ 2,080.
Metro area Hourly Annual Employment
New York, NY — NY $28.45 $59,170 87,860
Los Angeles, CA — CA $27.27 $56,730 57,520
Dallas, TX — TX $24.77 $51,530 37,570
Chicago, IL — IL $24.23 $50,390 36,080
Miami, FL — FL $23.55 $48,980 30,640
Houston, TX — TX $23.63 $49,140 27,680
Philadelphia, PA — PA $24.66 $51,290 24,810
Boston, MA — MA $28.08 $58,400 22,660
Atlanta, GA — GA $23.99 $49,900 21,350
Seattle, WA — WA $28.07 $58,390 21,300
Washington, DC — DC $27.41 $57,010 17,990
San Francisco, CA — CA $31.00 $64,480 17,670
Phoenix, AZ — AZ $23.91 $49,740 17,650
Tampa, FL — FL $23.87 $49,650 17,260
Minneapolis, MN — MN $26.88 $55,910 16,930
Detroit, MI — MI $24.03 $49,980 16,440
Orlando, FL — FL $22.53 $46,870 13,460
Riverside, CA — CA $24.97 $51,940 13,210
Portland, OR — OR $25.50 $53,050 13,020
Austin, TX — TX $26.11 $54,300 12,850
San Diego, CA — CA $27.27 $56,730 12,510
Denver, CO — CO $27.86 $57,940 12,270
Charlotte, NC — NC $23.44 $48,760 11,910
St. Louis, MO — MO $23.52 $48,930 10,720
Baltimore, MD — MD $25.35 $52,720 8,990
What the spread means

The gap between New York, NY ($59,170) and Baltimore, MD ($52,720) is 12% . For bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks this mainly reflects industry mix and regional price levels rather than a difference in the work itself. The middle metro sits at $51,940, which is the better single number for a "typical" market than either extreme.

Frequently asked questions

How much do bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks make in the United States?

The national median for this occupation is $49,210 per year, across all areas including non-metropolitan ones. Metro-level medians for this occupation range from $46,870 to $64,480, with a middle value of $51,940.

Which metro area pays bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks the most?

New York, NY pays the most among the metros covered, at a median of $59,170, with about 87,860 people employed in the occupation.

Which metro area pays bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks the least?

Baltimore, MD sits at the bottom of the range, with a median of $52,720.

Do bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks earn more in large cities?

Usually, but not always. Large metros tend to show higher nominal pay because they concentrate high-wage industries and a higher cost of living. The spread above is nominal — it is not adjusted for local prices, so a lower median in a cheaper metro can still buy more.

About these figures

Method and limits

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024. The US figure on this page is an employment-weighted benchmark computed across the metro areas covered by this site, not the official national OEWS median, which BLS publishes separately. OEWS excludes self-employed workers and reports wages only, not benefits or total compensation.

See the methodology for how the benchmark and the metro ranking are derived.

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