Tax Preparers pay in the U.S.
$60,930avg. a year
$29.30 an hour · 76,480 employed
Tax Preparers in the U.S. earn an average of $60,930 a year and a median of $54,920. Pay is highest in New York ($79,160) and lowest in Alabama ($34,070).
$54,920Median pay
$29.30Average hourly
+16%Avg. pay since 2020
76,480Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for tax preparers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
17,620 jobs
New York
$79,160
$38.06 an hour
270 jobs
Alaska
$77,490
$37.25 an hour
31,330 jobs
Missouri
$72,120
$34.67 an hour
410,270 jobs
California
$71,540
$34.39 an hour
51,410 jobs
Nevada
$69,450
$33.39 an hour
6360 jobs
Montana
$68,980
$33.16 an hour
71,190 jobs
Utah
$67,520
$32.46 an hour
81,540 jobs
Colorado
$67,090
$32.25 an hour
990 jobs
Wyoming
$67,030
$32.23 an hour
102,010 jobs
Pennsylvania
$66,780
$32.11 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Tax Preparers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $50k$50k–$56k$56k–$65k$65k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $84,300 | $40.53 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $83,550 | $40.17 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $82,540 | $39.68 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $75,620 | $36.36 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $74,870 | $36.00 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $72,230 | $34.73 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $72,150 | $34.69 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $71,350 | $34.30 |
Related jobs
- Accountants and Auditors$94,750
- Financial and Investment Analysts$116,800
- Loan Officers$87,790
- Personal Financial Advisors$156,670
- Financial Specialists, All Other$93,810
- Insurance Underwriters$93,700
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Tax Preparers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $34,070 | $33,280 | 290 |
| Alaska | $77,490 | $62,360 | 70 |
| Arizona | $62,650 | $44,770 | 2,240 |
| Arkansas | $43,350 | $35,040 | 550 |
| California | $71,540 | $70,030 | 10,270 |
| Colorado | $67,090 | $62,620 | 1,540 |
| Connecticut | $52,350 | $41,130 | 700 |
| Delaware | $54,020 | $51,960 | 240 |
| Florida | $54,670 | $49,020 | – |
| Georgia | $55,400 | $49,330 | 1,670 |
| Hawaii | $40,820 | $34,720 | – |
| Illinois | $54,530 | $54,480 | 1,310 |
| Indiana | $51,820 | $45,710 | 1,820 |
| Iowa | $59,590 | $53,660 | 780 |
| Kansas | $55,950 | $47,300 | 450 |
| Kentucky | $45,970 | $36,620 | 1,080 |
| Louisiana | $44,340 | $38,740 | 650 |
| Maine | $49,600 | $47,150 | 250 |
| Maryland | $54,350 | $47,020 | 1,240 |
| Massachusetts | $58,230 | $58,400 | 1,500 |
| Michigan | $54,160 | $46,400 | 1,660 |
| Minnesota | $62,780 | $59,200 | 1,040 |
| Mississippi | $56,640 | $50,670 | 580 |
| Missouri | $72,120 | $62,780 | 1,330 |
| Montana | $68,980 | $63,080 | 360 |
| Nebraska | $46,910 | $43,010 | 420 |
| Nevada | $69,450 | $60,000 | 1,410 |
| New Hampshire | $64,780 | $61,370 | 420 |
| New Jersey | $52,870 | $43,420 | 3,220 |
| New Mexico | $40,770 | $38,060 | 340 |
| New York | $79,160 | $71,850 | 7,620 |
| North Carolina | $57,820 | $48,130 | 2,710 |
| North Dakota | $62,070 | $57,060 | 220 |
| Ohio | $52,310 | $49,020 | 1,590 |
| Oklahoma | $48,910 | $42,700 | 1,300 |
| Oregon | $65,980 | $61,370 | 1,590 |
| Pennsylvania | $66,780 | $61,270 | 2,010 |
| Rhode Island | $57,010 | $57,680 | – |
| South Carolina | $51,220 | $39,220 | 1,360 |
| South Dakota | $55,710 | $52,530 | 280 |
| Tennessee | $45,740 | $36,600 | 1,260 |
| Texas | $56,670 | $47,460 | 6,010 |
| Utah | $67,520 | $66,720 | 1,190 |
| Virginia | $61,160 | $58,520 | 1,960 |
| Washington | $49,380 | $45,370 | 1,360 |
| West Virginia | $40,320 | $35,880 | 330 |
| Wisconsin | $49,300 | $44,340 | 1,550 |
| Wyoming | $67,030 | $57,990 | 90 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$75,620
8,100 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$68,140
3,250 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$57,780
1,780 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
$65,360
1,580 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$84,300
1,410 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$58,040
1,280 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$68,730
1,150 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$63,470
1,150 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do tax preparers make?
The average is $60,930 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $54,920 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $29.30, and the median is $26.40 an hour.
Which state pays tax preparers the most?
New York, with an average of $79,160 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $84,300.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $33,760 a year, and the top 10% earn over $99,270.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 13-2082. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.