Median pay for bookkeepings runs from $25,040 in Arecibo to $66,130 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 2.64× range across 528 metropolitan areas. The national median of $50,670 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of bookkeepings earn below $36,000 and ten per cent above $74,550 — a 2.07× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 47%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
6 of the ten best-paying metros for bookkeepings are in CA. When one state dominates the top of the table like this, cost of living is doing part of the work but rarely all of it — state licensing rules, public-sector pay scales and the presence of a few large employers usually explain the rest. If you are comparing an offer in CA against one elsewhere, adjust for housing before concluding anything.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $66,130 | $31.79 | 0.76 | 7,590 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $65,530 | $31.51 | 0.86 | 18,100 |
| New Haven CT | $62,890 | $30.24 | 1.17 | 2,900 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $61,960 | $29.79 | 1.29 | 1,120 |
| Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area | $61,770 | $29.70 | 1.23 | 450 |
| Napa CA | $61,710 | $29.67 | 1.02 | 700 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $61,390 | $29.52 | 1.04 | 3,710 |
| Vallejo CA | $61,180 | $29.41 | 0.82 | 1,040 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $61,140 | $29.39 | 1.13 | 2,040 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $60,960 | $29.31 | 0.89 | 21,170 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $60,680 | $29.18 | 1.19 | 990 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $60,640 | $29.15 | 0.92 | 77,010 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $60,460 | $29.07 | 0.97 | 17,860 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA | $60,170 | $28.93 | 1.07 | 1,900 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT | $59,470 | $28.59 | 0.88 | 4,660 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $59,320 | $28.52 | 1.45 | 470 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $59,290 | $28.51 | 0.67 | 18,550 |
| Salinas CA | $59,180 | $28.45 | 0.77 | 1,270 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | $59,020 | $28.37 | 1.21 | 560 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $58,590 | $28.17 | 0.97 | 53,910 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $58,590 | $28.17 | 0.94 | 780 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $58,580 | $28.16 | 0.94 | 12,830 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA | $58,570 | $28.16 | 0.99 | 1,070 |
| Rochester MN | $58,350 | $28.06 | 0.72 | 790 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $58,100 | $27.93 | 1.49 | 1,710 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arecibo PR | $25,040 | $12.04 | 0.64 | 190 |
| Aguadilla PR | $25,700 | $12.35 | 0.86 | 370 |
| Mayaguez PR | $26,000 | $12.50 | 0.82 | 380 |
| Ponce PR | $26,070 | $12.54 | 0.61 | 340 |
| Guayama PR | $27,180 | $13.07 | 0.52 | 60 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $27,560 | $13.25 | 0.65 | 170 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $29,410 | $14.14 | 0.84 | 5,110 |
| Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $38,450 | $18.49 | 1.3 | 870 |
| Hot Springs AR | $38,450 | $18.49 | 1.07 | 360 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals AL | $38,810 | $18.66 | 1.17 | 580 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $45,140 | $21.70 | 2.8 | 3,300 |
| West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $45,760 | $22.00 | 2.77 | 1,540 |
| Rapid City SD | $46,810 | $22.50 | 2.64 | 1,720 |
| Northeast Maine nonmetropolitan area | $47,050 | $22.62 | 2.24 | 1,240 |
| Sioux Falls SD-MN | $46,910 | $22.55 | 2.15 | 3,390 |
| Carson City NV | $48,240 | $23.19 | 1.95 | 550 |
| West Montana nonmetropolitan area | $46,830 | $22.51 | 1.86 | 1,380 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $57,510 | $27.65 | 1.81 | 1,740 |
| East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area | $46,340 | $22.28 | 1.77 | 940 |
| Utica-Rome NY | $49,280 | $23.69 | 1.7 | 1,770 |
| Medford OR | $49,270 | $23.69 | 1.7 | 1,340 |
| Helena MT | $45,870 | $22.05 | 1.65 | 650 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $60,640 | $29.15 | 0.92 | 77,010 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $58,590 | $28.17 | 0.97 | 53,910 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $51,440 | $24.73 | 0.89 | 35,660 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $51,720 | $24.86 | 0.98 | 34,930 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $49,460 | $23.78 | 0.9 | 26,090 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $50,300 | $24.18 | 1.04 | 25,910 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $52,710 | $25.34 | 0.89 | 22,660 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $51,170 | $24.60 | 0.88 | 22,480 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $60,960 | $29.31 | 0.89 | 21,170 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $59,290 | $28.51 | 0.67 | 18,550 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $65,530 | $31.51 | 0.86 | 18,100 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $60,460 | $29.07 | 0.97 | 17,860 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 43-3031. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 528 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.