Best US Cities for Tax Preparers
Top US cities for Tax Preparers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $72,700 | 1.45× | +$17,700 |
| 2 | New York City, NY | $68,600 | 1.32× | +$13,600 |
| 3 | Irvine, CA | $67,900 | 1.30× | +$12,900 |
| 4 | Oakland, CA | $65,600 | 1.35× | +$10,600 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $65,400 | 1.22× | +$10,400 |
| 6 | Yonkers, NY | $64,700 | 1.20× | +$9,700 |
| 7 | Honolulu, HI | $64,100 | 1.30× | +$9,100 |
| 8 | Scottsdale, AZ | $64,000 | 1.18× | +$9,000 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $62,700 | 1.05× | +$7,700 |
| 10 | Plano, TX | $62,400 | 1.04× | +$7,400 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $72,700 | $35/hr |
| 2 | New York City, NY | $68,600 | $33/hr |
| 3 | Irvine, CA | $67,900 | $33/hr |
| 4 | Oakland, CA | $65,600 | $32/hr |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $65,400 | $31/hr |
| 6 | Yonkers, NY | $64,700 | $31/hr |
| 7 | Honolulu, HI | $64,100 | $31/hr |
| 8 | Scottsdale, AZ | $64,000 | $31/hr |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $62,700 | $30/hr |
| 10 | Plano, TX | $62,400 | $30/hr |
| 11 | Miami, FL | $62,100 | $30/hr |
| 12 | Los Angeles, CA | $61,700 | $30/hr |
| 13 | Tampa, FL | $61,700 | $30/hr |
| 14 | Newark, NJ | $61,500 | $30/hr |
| 15 | San Diego, CA | $61,400 | $30/hr |
| 16 | Wilmington, DE | $61,100 | $29/hr |
| 17 | Anchorage, AK | $61,000 | $29/hr |
| 18 | Dallas, TX | $60,700 | $29/hr |
| 19 | St. Petersburg, FL | $60,700 | $29/hr |
| 20 | Seattle, WA | $60,400 | $29/hr |
| 21 | Long Beach, CA | $60,400 | $29/hr |
| 22 | Anaheim, CA | $60,400 | $29/hr |
| 23 | Charlotte, NC | $60,100 | $29/hr |
| 24 | Frisco, TX | $59,900 | $29/hr |
| 25 | Minneapolis, MN | $59,600 | $29/hr |
| 26 | Chula Vista, CA | $59,500 | $29/hr |
| 27 | Milwaukee, WI | $59,100 | $28/hr |
| 28 | Phoenix, AZ | $58,900 | $28/hr |
| 29 | Philadelphia, PA | $58,900 | $28/hr |
| 30 | Atlanta, GA | $58,900 | $28/hr |
| 31 | Salt Lake City, UT | $58,900 | $28/hr |
| 32 | Kansas City, MO | $58,400 | $28/hr |
| 33 | St. Paul, MN | $58,300 | $28/hr |
| 34 | Nashville, TN | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 35 | Portland, OR | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 36 | Sacramento, CA | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 37 | Riverside, CA | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 38 | Madison, WI | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 39 | Omaha, NE | $57,700 | $28/hr |
| 40 | Denver, CO | $57,400 | $28/hr |
| 41 | Pittsburgh, PA | $56,700 | $27/hr |
| 42 | Austin, TX | $56,500 | $27/hr |
| 43 | Baltimore, MD | $56,500 | $27/hr |
| 44 | Stockton, CA | $56,500 | $27/hr |
| 45 | Aurora, CO | $56,500 | $27/hr |
| 46 | Hialeah, FL | $56,500 | $27/hr |
| 47 | Las Vegas, NV | $56,200 | $27/hr |
| 48 | Chandler, AZ | $56,200 | $27/hr |
| 49 | Columbus, OH | $55,800 | $27/hr |
| 50 | Detroit, MI | $55,800 | $27/hr |
| 51 | Buffalo, NY | $55,800 | $27/hr |
| 52 | Henderson, NV | $55,600 | $27/hr |
| 53 | Reno, NV | $55,600 | $27/hr |
| 54 | Gilbert, AZ | $55,600 | $27/hr |
| 55 | Charleston, SC | $55,600 | $27/hr |
| 56 | Cleveland, OH | $55,400 | $27/hr |
| 57 | Winston-Salem, NC | $55,400 | $27/hr |
| 58 | Orlando, FL | $55,300 | $27/hr |
| 59 | Raleigh, NC | $55,000 | $26/hr |
| 60 | Virginia Beach, VA | $55,000 | $26/hr |
| 61 | Chesapeake, VA | $55,000 | $26/hr |
| 62 | North Las Vegas, NV | $55,000 | $26/hr |
| 63 | Boise, ID | $55,000 | $26/hr |
| 64 | Fresno, CA | $55,000 | $26/hr |
| 65 | Worcester, MA | $55,000 | $26/hr |
| 66 | Lincoln, NE | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 67 | Colorado Springs, CO | $54,700 | $26/hr |
| 68 | Bakersfield, CA | $54,700 | $26/hr |
| 69 | Birmingham, AL | $54,500 | $26/hr |
| 70 | Norfolk, VA | $54,400 | $26/hr |
| 71 | Jacksonville, FL | $54,100 | $26/hr |
| 72 | Mesa, AZ | $54,100 | $26/hr |
| 73 | Houston, TX | $53,800 | $26/hr |
| 74 | Fort Worth, TX | $53,800 | $26/hr |
| 75 | Tucson, AZ | $53,800 | $26/hr |
| 76 | Glendale, AZ | $53,800 | $26/hr |
| 77 | Garland, TX | $53,800 | $26/hr |
| 78 | Spokane, WA | $53,800 | $26/hr |
| 79 | Fort Wayne, IN | $53,800 | $26/hr |
| 80 | Arlington, TX | $53,500 | $26/hr |
| 81 | Tallahassee, FL | $53,500 | $26/hr |
| 82 | Albuquerque, NM | $53,200 | $26/hr |
| 83 | New Orleans, LA | $53,200 | $26/hr |
| 84 | San Antonio, TX | $52,900 | $25/hr |
| 85 | Grand Rapids, MI | $52,900 | $25/hr |
| 86 | Cincinnati, OH | $52,600 | $25/hr |
| 87 | Lexington, KY | $52,600 | $25/hr |
| 88 | Corpus Christi, TX | $52,600 | $25/hr |
| 89 | Greensboro, NC | $52,600 | $25/hr |
| 90 | Knoxville, TN | $52,600 | $25/hr |
| 91 | El Paso, TX | $52,300 | $25/hr |
| 92 | St. Louis, MO | $52,300 | $25/hr |
| 93 | Indianapolis, IN | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 94 | Louisville, KY | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 95 | Memphis, TN | $51,700 | $25/hr |
| 96 | Oklahoma City, OK | $51,700 | $25/hr |
| 97 | Toledo, OH | $51,400 | $25/hr |
| 98 | Lubbock, TX | $51,400 | $25/hr |
| 99 | Wichita, KS | $50,800 | $24/hr |
| 100 | Mobile, AL | $50,800 | $24/hr |
Does location actually decide Tax Preparer pay?
Tax Preparer work is usually hybrid, so the metro you choose still largely determines what you earn. Pay ranges from $50,800 in Mobile to $72,700 in San Francisco — a spread of 43%.
Licensing adds friction the ranking does not show. Tax Preparer requires IRS PTIN required; EA/CPA credential optional, not mandatory, and licenses are issued state by state. Moving for a higher salary can mean re-credentialing, which takes time and sometimes additional exams — check reciprocity with the destination board before treating a pay gap as attainable.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
The nominal ranking and the useful ranking are not the same. In San Francisco, $72,700 against $3,000/month rent leaves roughly $36,700 a year after housing. In Mobile, $50,800 against $850 leaves about $40,600. The bottom of the pay list beats the top once rent is subtracted — which is the whole reason to look past headline salary.
Why these metros and not others
What puts a metro near the top here is employer density, not price level. San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); New York City (JPMorgan Chase, NYC Health + Hospitals); Irvine (University of California, Irvine, Broadcom). Where finance employers compete for the same candidates, offers rise above what the local cost of living alone would predict.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.