Bookkeeper salary in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara is a higher-paying market for bookkeepers: the median of $60,170 a year1 is 1.6% above the California statewide median of $59,230, and 18.7% above the US median of $50,670. Only 13 of 521 US areas pay more for this job. BLS counts about 1,900 people in this job here, 1% of the California total.
BLS occupation 43-3031, area Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara against California and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $42,780 | $60,170 | $80,460 | |
| California | $41,600 | $59,230 | $81,990 | |
| United States | $36,000 | $50,670 | $74,550 |
The middle half of bookkeepers in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara earns $49,720–$74,750. The top tenth earns $80,460 or more, 1.9 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 2.1 times. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $25,030 wide, wider than in California as a whole ($22,000) and the US ($17,950), so what a bookkeeper earns in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara depends more on the employer.
What to budget for a bookkeeper here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,780 | $3,565 | $20.57 | $55,200 |
| 25th percentile | $49,720 | $4,143 | $23.90 | $64,155 |
| Median | $60,170 | $5,014 | $28.93 | $77,639 |
| 75th percentile | $74,750 | $6,229 | $35.94 | $96,452 |
| 90th percentile | $80,460 | $6,705 | $38.68 | $103,819 |
The step from the 25th percentile to the median is $10,450 a year; from the median to the 75th it is $14,580, or about $18,813 once benefits are added. 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, and the California statewide median of $59,230 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
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 $17,469 to the $60,170 median and brings it to $77,639 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
Of the 17 roles we track in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, this one ranks #9 by median pay, between sales development representatives ($72,800) and payroll specialists ($57,970). Project Coordinator is the highest at $106,250.
| Role | Median | vs bookkeeper | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Manager | +26.9% | 1,440 | |
| Sales Development Representative | +21.0% | 1,470 | |
| Bookkeeper | this role | 1,900 | |
| Payroll Specialist | -3.7% | 240 | |
| Administrative Assistant | -13.9% | 1,930 |
Measured against the US median, bookkeepers rank #2 of the 17 roles we track in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara (+18.7%), between paralegals (+28.7%) and virtual receptionists (+16.5%). The typical role here is at +8.0%, so, measured against the US, bookkeepers cost more in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara than the area's general pay level would suggest. Bookkeepers hold 11.9% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, 9.1% across California and 8.7% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in California
Across the 28 areas of California with data for this job, the median runs from $47,960 in El Centro to $66,130 in San Jose-Sunnyvale, a gap of $18,170 a year. Of the 11 areas in California with more bookkeepers than Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, 8 pay less, the largest of them Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA ($58,590), San Diego-Chula Vista, CA ($58,580) and Riverside-San Bernardino, CA ($55,610).
| Area | Median | vs Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | +2.6% | 700 | |
| Vallejo, CA | +1.7% | 1,040 | |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | +1.6% | 2,040 | |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | this area | 1,900 | |
| Salinas, CA | -1.6% | 1,270 | |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | -2.6% | 53,910 | |
| San Diego-Chula Vista, CA | -2.6% | 12,830 |
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Santa Maria-Santa Barbara is #130 of 521 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job and one of the better-paying ones. Outside California, Seattle-Tacoma and New York-Newark pay just above Santa Maria-Santa Barbara and Hartford-West Hartford and Fairbanks-College just below. All four are within $850 a year of the median in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara. Of the three markets with about as many bookkeepers, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark, NY-NJ | +0.8% | 77,010 | pay | |
| Seattle-Tacoma, WA | +0.5% | 17,860 | pay | |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | this area | 1,900 | ||
| Hartford-West Hartford, CT | -1.2% | 4,660 | pay | |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | -1.4% | 470 | pay | |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | -16.1% | 1,940 | jobs | |
| Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA | -22.1% | 1,840 | jobs | |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | -24.5% | 1,900 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a bookkeeper in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
About $77,639 a year at the median, or $6,470 a month: $60,170 in pay plus about $17,469 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do bookkeepers earn in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $60,170 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $42,780, the 90th $80,460, and the middle half earned $49,720 to $74,750.
Is Santa Maria-Santa Barbara cheaper than the rest of California for bookkeepers?
No, it costs more: a median of $60,170 against $59,230 statewide. The next area up in California is Santa Rosa-Petaluma at $61,140, the next down Salinas at $59,180.
How many bookkeepers work in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
BLS counts about 1,900 in the May 2025 survey. That is 1% of the California total of 151,870. 11 areas in California have more; the closest in size is Santa Rosa-Petaluma, with about 2,040.
Does a bookkeeper cost more than a payroll specialist in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
Yes: $2,200 a year more at the median. The medians are $60,170 and $57,970.
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.