Bookkeeper salary in Kingston, NY
Kingston pays bookkeepers less than New York as a whole but still more than the country. The median is $54,510 a year1: 6.3% below the New York statewide median of $58,160 and 7.6% above the US median of $50,670. That is in the top quarter of US areas (#58 of 521). About 670 bookkeepers work here.
BLS occupation 43-3031, area Kingston, NY. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Kingston against New York and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston, NY | $40,480 | $54,510 | $75,030 | |
| New York | $39,880 | $58,160 | $81,990 | |
| United States | $36,000 | $50,670 | $74,550 |
The middle half of bookkeepers in Kingston earns $46,800–$63,650. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $75,030, only 1.9 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 $16,850 wide, against $21,930 across New York and $17,950 nationally: employers in Kingston 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 | $40,480 | $3,373 | $19.46 | $52,232 |
| 25th percentile | $46,800 | $3,900 | $22.50 | $60,387 |
| Median | $54,510 | $4,542 | $26.21 | $70,335 |
| 75th percentile | $63,650 | $5,304 | $30.60 | $82,129 |
| 90th percentile | $75,030 | $6,252 | $36.07 | $96,813 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $9,140 a year in pay and about $11,794 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $7,710 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 25th percentile and the median in Kingston, and the New York statewide median of $58,160 falls between the median and the 75th percentile.
What a hire really costs in Kingston
At the $54,510 median, a local hire costs about $70,335 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $15,825 here. 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 Kingston
Of the 16 roles we track in Kingston, this one ranks #9 by median pay, between paralegals ($62,210) and payroll specialists ($50,430). Project Coordinator is the highest at $97,770.
| Role | Median | vs bookkeeper | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing Specialist | +15.0% | 260 | |
| Paralegal | +14.1% | 140 | |
| Bookkeeper | this role | 670 | |
| Payroll Specialist | -7.5% | 60 | |
| Administrative Assistant | -10.8% | 920 |
Measured against the US median, this job is the best paid of the 16 roles we track in Kingston (+7.6%); marketing specialists come last (-20.4%). The typical role here is at -2.4%, so, measured against the US, bookkeepers cost more in Kingston than the area's general pay level would suggest. Bookkeepers hold 12.0% of the jobs in these 16 roles in Kingston, 7.7% across New York and 8.7% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in New York
Across the 16 areas of New York with data for this job, the median runs from $47,100 in Watertown-Fort Drum to $60,640 in New York-Newark, a gap of $13,540 a year. Of the 11 areas in New York with more bookkeepers than Kingston, 9 pay less, the largest of them Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY ($51,610), Rochester, NY ($50,870) and Albany-Schenectady, NY ($53,540).
| Area | Median | vs Kingston | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark, NY-NJ | +11.2% | 77,010 | |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie, NY | +3.0% | 2,530 | |
| Kingston, NY | this area | 670 | |
| Albany-Schenectady, NY | -1.8% | 4,170 | |
| Syracuse, NY | -4.6% | 2,980 | |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | -5.3% | 5,890 | |
| Ithaca, NY | -5.3% | 490 |
Kingston against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Kingston is #357 of 521 US areas for this job. It is a mid-sized market, and its pay is in the top quarter of US areas. Outside New York, Portland-South Portland and Providence-Warwick pay just above Kingston and Salem and Austin-Round Rock just below. All four are within $190 a year of the median in Kingston. Of the three markets with about as many bookkeepers, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Kingston | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | +0.2% | 6,400 | pay | |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | +0.2% | 2,670 | pay | |
| Kingston, NY | this area | 670 | ||
| Salem, OR | -0.2% | 2,230 | pay | |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | -0.3% | 11,900 | pay | |
| Merced, CA | -5.1% | 680 | jobs | |
| Iowa City, IA | -9.7% | 660 | jobs | |
| Saginaw, MI | -14.7% | 670 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a bookkeeper in Kingston, NY?
About $70,335 a year at the median, or $5,861 a month: $54,510 in pay plus about $15,825 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for bookkeepers in Kingston?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $54,510 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $40,480, the 90th $75,030, and the middle half earned $46,800 to $63,650.
Is Kingston cheaper than the rest of New York for bookkeepers?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $54,510 against $58,160 statewide. The next area up in New York is Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie at $56,130, the next down Albany-Schenectady at $53,540.
How many bookkeepers work in Kingston?
BLS counts about 670 in the May 2025 survey. 11 areas in New York have more; the closest in size is Binghamton, with about 950.
Does a bookkeeper cost more than a payroll specialist in Kingston?
Yes: $4,080 a year more at the median. The medians are $54,510 and $50,430.
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.