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Bookkeeper salary and cost of hiring in the US

A bookkeeper records the company's transactions, reconciles bank accounts, keeps receivables and payables in order and prepares the books for the accountant.

$50,670US median wage
$72,386employer cost with benefits
1,373,680bookkeepers employed
District of Columbiahighest-paying state

BLS occupation 43-3031[1]; benefits share[2]. Checked 2026-10-16.

Request profilesPay by state

US salary range

Range10thMedian90th
United States$36,000$50,670$74,550
10th to 90th percentilemiddle half (25th to 75th)median

Salary by state

Linked states have a detailed page with metro areas.
StateMedian90th percentileJobs
District of Columbia
$65,180
$94,3201,790
Connecticut
$59,970
$81,74014,930
Massachusetts
$59,830
$81,08029,110
California
$59,230
$81,990151,870
Washington
$58,620
$77,63032,930
New Jersey
$58,300
$78,91037,550
New York
$58,160
$81,99084,280
Alaska
$56,430
$76,8004,580
Vermont
$54,720
$74,9702,950
Minnesota
$54,600
$73,45026,850
Oregon
$54,060
$74,60021,710
Colorado
$54,000
$77,54026,140
Maryland
$53,540
$75,60018,170
Rhode Island
$53,280
$76,2104,570
New Hampshire
$52,450
$72,2607,180
Delaware
$51,780
$71,4104,600
Virginia
$51,620
$72,86031,990
Arizona
$50,590
$68,17022,690
Maine
$50,510
$69,9907,390
Nevada
$50,380
$71,89015,180
Wisconsin
$50,340
$65,46025,960
North Dakota
$49,710
$66,0404,290
Illinois
$49,560
$71,48051,470
Utah
$49,440
$66,58012,650
Georgia (US state)
$49,350
$71,81038,700
Florida
$49,330
$72,26088,670
Michigan
$48,980
$67,48037,550
Texas
$48,910
$72,810122,400
Ohio
$48,810
$67,33045,140
Hawaii
$48,730
$65,0905,220
Pennsylvania
$48,440
$69,57048,920
Idaho
$48,310
$72,8709,540
Iowa
$48,180
$66,49014,020
Tennessee
$48,180
$67,73037,680
New Mexico
$48,080
$70,8907,780
Missouri
$47,990
$68,18021,400
South Carolina
$47,940
$68,87019,980
North Carolina
$47,930
$67,29048,760
Wyoming
$47,910
$67,7103,480
Indiana
$47,820
$66,96029,910
Kansas
$47,290
$64,13015,380
Montana
$47,270
$63,9806,980
Nebraska
$47,110
$62,46010,050
Kentucky
$46,550
$66,93023,480
South Dakota
$46,340
$59,14010,200
Oklahoma
$46,180
$66,10016,490
Louisiana
$44,890
$65,22018,980
Alabama
$44,640
$60,25019,890
West Virginia
$42,890
$58,5607,620
Arkansas
$42,840
$62,23012,510
Mississippi
$42,840
$62,39012,160

Top-paying metro areas

Areas with at least 500 people in the job.

Metro areaMedianJobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$66,130
7,590
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$65,530
18,100
New Haven, CT
$62,890
2,900
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
$61,960
1,120
Napa, CA
$61,710
700
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT
$61,390
3,710
Vallejo, CA
$61,180
1,040
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
$61,140
2,040
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$60,960
21,170
Barnstable Town, MA
$60,680
990

What the job involves

  • Categorise transactions and reconcile bank and card accounts
  • Issue invoices and chase overdue payments
  • Enter and schedule bills
  • Run month-end close checklists
  • Prepare reports for the outside accountant or tax adviser

Tools

  • QuickBooks Online or Xero
  • Excel
  • Bill.com or Ramp
  • Stripe and PayPal dashboards
  • Dext or Hubdoc

How to test candidates

Remote work

Works remotely with read-only bank access and a clear month-end calendar; tax filing usually stays with a local accountant.

Local or remote

We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for bookkeepers we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee[3]; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool[4].

$72,386local hire, first year incl. benefits
-remote hire, first year incl. fee
-difference in year one
-of the local cost saved

Questions

What is the average bookkeeper salary in the US?

The BLS median was $50,670 a year in May 2025 and the mean $53,560.

Which state pays bookkeepers the most?

District of Columbia, with a median of $65,180 a year.

Hire bookkeepers remotely

Sources

  1. BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-3031: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes433031.htm
  2. BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm
  3. Silkstaff pricing: https://silkstaff.com/#pricing
  4. Deel pricing, contractor management: https://www.deel.com/pricing/

How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Data checked 2026-10-16.