Bookkeeper salary in Dothan, AL
Dothan is a lower-cost market for bookkeepers: the median of $41,330 a year1 is 7.4% below the Alabama statewide median of $44,640, and 18.4% below the US median of $50,670. Only 22 of 521 US areas pay less for this job. About 560 bookkeepers work here, 3% of the Alabama total.
BLS occupation 43-3031, area Dothan, AL. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Dothan against Alabama and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dothan, AL | $29,880 | $41,330 | $55,260 | |
| Alabama | $30,460 | $44,640 | $60,250 | |
| United States | $36,000 | $50,670 | $74,550 |
The middle half of bookkeepers in Dothan earns $35,790–$47,750. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $55,260, only 1.8 times the bottom tenth, against 2.1 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $11,960 wide, against $14,290 across Alabama and $17,950 nationally: employers in Dothan pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a bookkeeper here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29,880 | $2,490 | $14.37 | $38,555 |
| 25th percentile | $35,790 | $2,982 | $17.21 | $46,181 |
| Median | $41,330 | $3,444 | $19.87 | $53,329 |
| 75th percentile | $47,750 | $3,979 | $22.96 | $61,613 |
| 90th percentile | $55,260 | $4,605 | $26.57 | $71,303 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $6,420 a year in pay and about $8,284 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $5,540 in pay. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $50,670 falls between the 75th and 90th percentiles in Dothan, and the Alabama statewide median of $44,640 falls between the median and the 75th percentile. An offer at the national rate would beat what three quarters of local bookkeepers earn.
What a hire really costs in Dothan
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $11,999 to the $41,330 median and brings it to $53,329 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
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 fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in Dothan
Of the 14 roles we track in Dothan, this one ranks #9 by median pay, between paralegals ($47,260) and administrative assistants ($39,500). Project Coordinator is the highest at $135,260.
| Role | Median | vs bookkeeper | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing Specialist | +15.6% | 170 | |
| Paralegal | +14.3% | 120 | |
| Bookkeeper | this role | 560 | |
| Administrative Assistant | -4.4% | 1,190 | |
| Payroll Specialist | -6.7% | 40 |
Measured against the US median, bookkeepers rank #3 of the 14 roles we track in Dothan (-18.4%), between administrative assistants (-16.9%) and office managers (-18.5%). The typical role here is at -21.1%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Bookkeepers hold 9.6% of the jobs in these 14 roles in Dothan, 9.2% across Alabama and 8.8% nationally. That is close to the national mix.
Other areas in Alabama
Across the 16 areas of Alabama with data for this job, the median runs from $38,810 in Florence-Muscle Shoals to $47,330 in Birmingham, a gap of $8,520 a year. Of the 12 areas in Alabama with more bookkeepers than Dothan, 4 pay less, the largest of them the Northeast Alabama nonmetro area ($40,630), the Southeast Alabama nonmetro area ($40,650) and the Southwest Alabama nonmetro area ($39,650).
| Area | Median | vs Dothan | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscaloosa, AL | +5.0% | 900 | |
| Northwest Alabama (Nonmetro) | +4.4% | 610 | |
| Anniston-Oxford, AL | +1.0% | 330 | |
| Dothan, AL | this area | 560 | |
| Gadsden, AL | -1.3% | 290 | |
| Southeast Alabama (Nonmetro) | -1.6% | 740 | |
| Northeast Alabama (Nonmetro) | -1.7% | 1,270 |
Dothan against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Dothan is #395 of 521 US areas for this job. It is a small market, and its pay is in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Alabama, El Paso and Brownsville-Harlingen pay just above Dothan and Johnson City and Gulfport-Biloxi just below. All four are within $800 a year of the median in Dothan. Of the three markets with about as many bookkeepers, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Dothan | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon, PA | +29.4% | 560 | jobs | |
| Farmington, NM | +11.3% | 560 | jobs | |
| Elizabethtown, KY | +6.0% | 560 | jobs | |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | +0.5% | 1,020 | pay | |
| El Paso, TX | +0.5% | 2,790 | pay | |
| Dothan, AL | this area | 560 | ||
| Johnson City, TN | -1.5% | 870 | pay | |
| Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | -1.9% | 1,500 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a bookkeeper in Dothan, AL?
About $53,329 a year at the median, or $4,444 a month: $41,330 in pay plus about $11,999 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do bookkeepers earn in Dothan?
Pay here is lower than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $41,330 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $29,880, the 90th $55,260, and the middle half earned $35,790 to $47,750.
Is Dothan cheaper than the rest of Alabama for bookkeepers?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $41,330 against $44,640 statewide. The next area up in Alabama is Anniston-Oxford at $41,750, the next down Gadsden at $40,810.
How many bookkeepers work in Dothan?
BLS counts about 560 in the May 2025 survey. That is 3% of the Alabama total of 19,890. 13 areas in Alabama have more; the closest in size is Auburn-Opelika, with about 560.
Does a bookkeeper cost more than an administrative assistant in Dothan?
Yes: $1,830 a year more at the median. The medians are $41,330 and $39,500.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-3031: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.