Bookkeeper Salary in 2026: National, by State, City, Specialty & Real Value

A bookkeeper in the United States earns a median of $50,670 a year, about $24.36 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025). Pay runs from roughly $36,000 at the 10th percentile to $74,550 at the 90th, and it swings further once you account for state, metro, setting, specialty, cost of living, and tax. About 1,373,680 bookkeepers work nationwide. This guide is the complete picture: national and percentile pay, all 50 states ranked by real (cost-adjusted) value, top metros, settings, specialties, take-home after tax, the path in, the return on the degree, and answers to the questions people ask most.

National pay overview

The national median for bookkeepers is $50,670 a year ($24.36 an hour), with a mean of $53,560. The full wage curve, from entry to senior:

Percentile	Annual	Hourly
10th (entry)	$36,000	$17.31
25th	$43,520	$20.92
50th (median)	$50,670	$24.36
75th	$61,470	$29.55
90th (senior)	$74,550	$35.84

The gap from the 10th to the 90th percentile is about $38,550. A single national number hides that range, which is why the rest of this guide breaks pay down by every factor that moves it, and then translates the headline into cost-adjusted, after-tax dollars.

The mean of $53,560 sits above the median, which tells you the top of the field pulls the average up: a meaningful share of bookkeepers earn well into the upper percentiles through specialty, setting, geography, and seniority. The practical question is what you can earn given where you work, what you specialize in, and how you structure your hours, which matters far more than the field-wide average. Each section below answers one piece of that.

Pay by experience

BLS does not publish pay by years of experience, but the percentiles map closely to a career arc:

Stage	Typical percentile	Annual
New graduate	10th to 25th	$36,000 to $43,520
Mid-career	~50th	around $50,670
Experienced	~75th	around $61,470
Senior / specialized / lead	90th+	$74,550 and up

The climb from new graduate to senior is roughly $38,550. Early raises tend to come fastest as you move off new-grad pay; by mid-career the curve flattens, and the people who keep climbing usually do so by specializing, switching to a higher-paying setting or state, taking on lead and management duties, or adding hours through overtime and extra work. Geography and setting can outweigh experience entirely: an experienced bookkeeper in a low-paying state can earn less than a new graduate in a top-paying one.

Salary by state: all 50 states ranked by real value

This is the table most bookkeeper salary pages leave out. Below are every state and Washington, D.C., ranked by real value (the median adjusted for that state’s cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024)) rather than by sticker pay. A high-paying state with high costs can leave you worse off than a moderate-paying, low-cost one. Tap a linked state for the full local breakdown.

#	State	Median (nominal)	Cost level (US=100)	Real value	Employed
1	District of Columbia	$65,180	109.9	$59,308	1,790
2	Connecticut	$59,970	103.6	$57,881	14,930
3	Massachusetts	$59,830	105.8	$56,573	29,110
4	North Dakota	$49,710	89.0	$55,880	4,290
5	Vermont	$54,720	98.0	$55,861	2,950
6	Minnesota	$54,600	98.6	$55,363	26,850
7	Alaska	$56,430	102.4	$55,129	4,580
8	Iowa	$48,180	87.8	$54,898	14,020
9	Washington	$58,620	107.0	$54,778	32,930
10	New York	$58,160	107.9	$53,891	84,280
11	New Jersey	$58,300	108.8	$53,582	37,550
12	Wisconsin	$50,340	94.1	$53,499	25,960
13	California	$59,230	110.7	$53,495	151,870
14	Missouri	$47,990	90.8	$52,843	21,400
15	Ohio	$48,810	92.8	$52,612	45,140
16	Oklahoma	$46,180	87.8	$52,571	16,490
17	Kansas	$47,290	90.1	$52,505	15,380
18	Tennessee	$48,180	91.9	$52,444	37,680
19	Colorado	$54,000	103.1	$52,401	26,140
20	South Dakota	$46,340	88.6	$52,311	10,200
21	Oregon	$54,060	103.4	$52,302	21,710
22	Nebraska	$47,110	90.1	$52,285	10,050
23	New Mexico	$48,080	92.2	$52,141	7,780
24	Rhode Island	$53,280	102.3	$52,092	4,570
25	Maine	$50,510	97.0	$52,045	7,390
26	Delaware	$51,780	99.8	$51,880	4,600
27	Wyoming	$47,910	92.7	$51,688	3,480
28	Kentucky	$46,550	90.2	$51,631	23,480
29	Georgia	$49,350	96.3	$51,250	38,700
30	Indiana	$47,820	93.3	$51,238	29,910
31	South Carolina	$47,940	93.7	$51,137	19,980
32	Virginia	$51,620	101.1	$51,056	31,990
33	Maryland	$53,540	105.0	$51,010	18,170
34	Michigan	$48,980	96.2	$50,906	37,550
35	Louisiana	$44,890	88.2	$50,892	18,980
36	North Carolina	$47,930	94.3	$50,813	48,760
37	Idaho	$48,310	95.5	$50,590	9,540
38	Texas	$48,910	97.1	$50,393	122,400
39	Nevada	$50,380	100.0	$50,391	15,180
40	New Hampshire	$52,450	104.2	$50,353	7,180
41	Alabama	$44,640	88.8	$50,257	19,890
42	Arizona	$50,590	100.7	$50,250	22,690
43	Utah	$49,440	98.9	$50,008	12,650
44	Montana	$47,270	94.6	$49,945	6,980
45	Pennsylvania	$48,440	97.6	$49,645	48,920
46	Illinois	$49,560	100.0	$49,581	51,470
47	Arkansas	$42,840	86.9	$49,277	12,510
48	Mississippi	$42,840	87.0	$49,268	12,160
49	West Virginia	$42,890	89.5	$47,923	7,620
50	Florida	$49,330	103.4	$47,701	88,670
51	Hawaii	$48,730	110.0	$44,320	5,220

On real, cost-adjusted value, District of Columbia leads at $59,308, while Hawaii trails at $44,320. By raw sticker pay the order is different: District of Columbia ($65,180), Connecticut ($59,970), and Massachusetts ($59,830) pay the most nominally, but several of them slide down the list once high housing and prices are counted. That reordering is the single most useful thing this page does, and it is why national averages and sticker rankings can steer you wrong.

Concrete example of the flip: New Hampshire ranks #15 by sticker pay ($52,450) but only #40 once its cost level of 104 is applied, because high prices eat the higher salary. Meanwhile Oklahoma looks middling on sticker (#46) yet climbs to #16 on real value, since a 46,180-dollar median goes much further at a cost level of 88. If you are willing to relocate, the real-value column, not the sticker column, is the one that should guide the decision.

The geographic pattern: the highest sticker pay clusters on the West Coast and in the Northeast, while the best real value often shows up in lower-cost states in the South, Midwest, and Mountain West where a strong salary meets cheap housing. There is no single best state, only the best fit for where you want to live and what your money will buy there.

Highest-paying metros

Within states, metros drive pay further. The largest bookkeeper job markets by employment, with median pay:

Metro	Median	Employed
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY	$60,640	77,010
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$58,590	53,910
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL	$51,440	35,660
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$51,720	34,930
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	$49,460	26,090
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$50,300	25,910
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA	$52,710	22,660
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$51,170	22,480
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA	$60,960	21,170
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC	$59,290	18,550

The same cost-of-living rule applies inside a state: a higher-paying big metro can lose to a cheaper mid-size city once housing is counted. Big metros also hold the deepest job markets, so they pair the most pay with the most openings, while rural and smaller markets sometimes pay premiums to attract candidates. The state pages work the metro and cost math out city by city.

Salary by work setting

Where bookkeepers work changes pay as much as geography. National medians by employer type:

Setting	Employed (U.S.)	Median
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services	98,500	$49,220
Management of Companies and Enterprises	71,290	$51,200
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	63,840	$52,300
Real Estate	50,020	$53,470
Elementary and Secondary Schools	40,550	$51,680
Building Equipment Contractors	37,010	$55,340
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only)	31,400	$48,240

The gap between the highest- and lowest-paying settings is real money over a career, and it usually comes with trade-offs in pace, caseload, autonomy, and schedule rather than in difficulty alone. The largest employer is not always the best payer, so it is worth weighing where the volume of jobs is against where the pay is when you choose a setting.

How it compares to related careers

It helps to see a bookkeeper beside the roles people weigh against it, with pay set next to the education each requires:

Role	National median	Education
Bookkeeper (this role)	$50,670	Some college
Accountant	$83,680	Bachelor’s (CPA for top)
Financial Analyst	$102,740	Bachelor’s (CFA/MBA)
Financial Manager	$166,570	Bachelor’s + experience

The higher-paid accountant ($83,680) sits $33,010 above, but on a longer or different training path. The right comparison is always pay set against the time, cost, and debt of the credential, not pay alone.

Skills, certifications, and what they mean for pay

There is no license for bookkeeping; skills and software fluency gate pay. QuickBooks and other accounting-software proficiency, payroll and reconciliation experience, and an optional certification (such as the AIPB Certified Bookkeeper or a QuickBooks credential) move pay, and a four-year degree is not required. The biggest pay differences come from full-charge bookkeeping (running an entire set of books) versus basic clerical work, and from industry and employer.

Licensing is not just a hurdle, it shapes pay. Where a role can practice more independently or bill for more services, it tends to command more, and license portability between states affects how easily you can chase a higher-paying market. Always confirm the current rules with the relevant state board, since scope and requirements change and vary widely.

Specialties and where the pay is

Pay rises modestly with software certifications and a step up from clerk to full-charge bookkeeper handling a company’s entire books, and higher still for those who add payroll, accounts-payable and receivable management, or light controller duties at small businesses. The largest jump comes from moving into staff-accountant and analyst roles, or from building an independent bookkeeping practice serving multiple small-business clients.

The practical takeaway: within bookkeepers, specialty and setting usually move pay more than another year of general experience. The top earners are rarely just the most tenured, they are the ones in the higher-paying focus areas, settings, or leadership and ownership roles.

If you are early in the field, the decisions with the biggest long-run payoff are which specialty to pursue and which setting to enter, because both compound over a career and are easier to choose early than to switch later. A credential that takes a year to earn can pay for itself many times over through higher pay and more job options, which is the same logic the ROI section applies to the degree itself.

What moves the pay

• State and metro, and crucially the cost of living that goes with them, which the real-value table reorders.
• Experience, which lifts pay steadily and then plateaus without a specialty or a step up.
• Work setting and employer, since some settings and employers pay well above others, as the settings table shows.
• Specialty and board certification, a clear premium in most of these fields.
• Hours and structure, since overtime, extra shifts, and contract or travel work can push total pay well above base.

Salary, hourly, and total compensation

The $50,670 median is base pay, and real total compensation often runs higher. Bookkeeping is usually paid hourly or as a modest salary, with some overtime around tax and close periods and small bonuses; equity is not part of the picture. The real financial lever is using the role as a springboard, either into higher-paying accounting and analyst roles or into self-employment running books for several small-business clients. When comparing offers, weigh the whole package, base, any bonus or equity, overtime or premiums where they apply, retirement match, and paid time off, since two offers with the same base can differ by thousands once the rest is counted.

Take-home pay after tax

Two bookkeepers on the same $50,670 salary keep very different amounts depending on the state. Worked examples on the national median, single filer, 2026 federal plus FICA plus state:

State	Gross	Est. take-home	Effective rate
Texas (no state income tax)	$50,670	$42,752	15.6%
New York	$50,670	$40,570	19.9%
California	$50,670	$41,466	18.2%

That is roughly $1,286 a year more in take-home in no-tax Texas than in California on an identical salary, before cost of living is even counted. Nine states levy no income tax.

Take-home also scales with where you sit on the pay curve. In Texas, an entry-level bookkeeper earning $43,520 nets about $37,007, while a senior one at $74,550 keeps about $60,832, since higher pay pushes more income into higher federal brackets. The effective rate climbs with income, so a raise is worth somewhat less on take-home than on the headline. Every state page includes a full breakdown and a paycheck calculator to run your own number.

How to maximize earnings

• Target a high-real-value state or metro using the table above, not the highest sticker.
• Move into the higher-paying setting and specialty for your field.
• Add board certification or a specialty credential, which pays a clear premium.
• Use overtime, contract, or travel work to lift total pay, and negotiate the full package.
• Consider leadership or ownership for the higher ceiling.

How pay is changing

Wages for bookkeepers have broadly risen with demand and inflation, but the real story is in the mix: pay grows fastest where labor is scarce and where the role takes on more responsibility. Watch three things if you are planning a career here, the spread between settings (which keeps widening as specialized and higher-skill roles pull ahead), the value of cost-of-living arbitrage (a strong salary in a cheap state has rarely been worth more relative to expensive coastal markets), and the premium on specialty credentials. The figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, the most recent national data, and the state pages carry the same detail locally.

Job outlook

Employment of bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks is projected to decline about 6% from 2024 to 2034, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as accounting software automates much of the data entry and reconciliation. Even so, a very large roughly 170,000 openings a year are projected, almost all to replace people who leave. The honest read: as a long-term destination the role is shrinking, but as an affordable entry into accounting and finance it still works, and the strongest path is to add skills and move up toward accountant and analyst roles.

For context, the average growth rate across all U.S. occupations through 2034 is about 3%. A large share of yearly openings also comes from replacing workers who retire or move on, so real hiring tends to run ahead of the net-growth figure, and shortage and rural areas often pay the most to attract candidates.

How to become a bookkeeper

Bookkeeping is an affordable, fast entry into finance, best used as a stepping stone:

1. Finish high school and build basic accounting and math skills.
2. Learn accounting software such as QuickBooks, plus payroll and reconciliation.
3. Earn an optional certification (AIPB Certified Bookkeeper or a QuickBooks credential) to stand out.
4. Step up to full-charge bookkeeping, a staff-accountant track, or an independent practice serving multiple clients.

Is it worth it? The return on the degree

The entry return is good because the cost is low: a certificate or some college, rather than a four-year degree, gets you to a median near $50,670. But because the role is projected to shrink, the durable return depends on using it as a stepping stone, adding certifications and skills and advancing into higher-paying accounting and analyst work, or running books independently for multiple clients. Weigh program cost, your starting state and setting, and the specialties you can reach against the debt. The pay tables above, set next to the education column in the comparison section, are the honest way to run that math before committing.

Two levers change the answer most: the price of the program you choose, since cost varies enormously between public and private schools, and the state and setting you start in, since the same degree pays very differently across the by-state and settings tables above. A graduate who controls program cost and starts in a high-real-value state can clear the debt years faster than one who does neither, on the identical credential.

Frequently asked questions

State guides and tools

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 and Occupational Outlook Handbook (SOC 43-3031 and related codes); national, state, and metro estimates. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024. Take-home figures are 2026 estimates (federal, FICA, and state) for a single filer and will vary with deductions and filing status. See our methodology.