Best US States for Bookkeepers
All 50 states + DC ranked by Bookkeeper salary. State tax structure noted for take-home math.
| # | State | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | State tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $52,500 | 1.15× | ~5% effective |
| 2 | Delaware | $52,200 | 1.00× | ~5% effective |
| 3 | Florida | $52,200 | 1.00× | No state tax |
| 4 | Illinois | $52,200 | 1.00× | ~5% effective |
| 5 | New Jersey | $52,000 | 1.13× | ~5% effective |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $51,900 | 1.12× | ~5% effective |
| 7 | North Carolina | $51,100 | 0.94× | ~5% effective |
| 8 | Missouri | $50,400 | 0.90× | ~5% effective |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $50,300 | 1.20× | ~5% effective |
| 10 | California | $50,000 | 1.18× | ~5% effective |
| # | State | Salary | After state tax (rough) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $52,500 | $38,509 |
| 2 | Delaware | $52,200 | $38,289 |
| 3 | Florida | $52,200 | $40,899 |
| 4 | Illinois | $52,200 | $38,289 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $52,000 | $38,142 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $51,900 | $38,069 |
| 7 | North Carolina | $51,100 | $37,482 |
| 8 | Missouri | $50,400 | $36,968 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $50,300 | $36,895 |
| 10 | California | $50,000 | $36,675 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $49,800 | $36,528 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $49,500 | $36,308 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $49,300 | $36,162 |
| 14 | Utah | $49,300 | $36,162 |
| 15 | Alaska | $49,100 | $38,470 |
| 16 | Georgia | $48,800 | $35,795 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $48,600 | $35,648 |
| 18 | Washington | $48,600 | $38,078 |
| 19 | Michigan | $48,500 | $35,575 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $48,500 | $35,575 |
| 21 | Maryland | $48,300 | $35,428 |
| 22 | Indiana | $48,200 | $35,355 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $48,200 | $35,355 |
| 24 | Ohio | $48,200 | $35,355 |
| 25 | Colorado | $47,800 | $35,061 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $47,800 | $37,451 |
| 27 | Oregon | $47,800 | $35,061 |
| 28 | Alabama | $47,700 | $34,988 |
| 29 | Rhode Island | $47,500 | $34,841 |
| 30 | Virginia | $47,500 | $34,841 |
| 31 | Nevada | $47,300 | $37,060 |
| 32 | Arizona | $47,000 | $34,475 |
| 33 | Vermont | $46,800 | $34,328 |
| 34 | Maine | $46,500 | $34,108 |
| 35 | Texas | $46,500 | $36,433 |
| 36 | Idaho | $45,800 | $33,594 |
| 37 | Montana | $45,800 | $33,594 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $45,800 | $35,884 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $45,700 | $33,521 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $45,700 | $33,521 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $45,700 | $33,521 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $45,700 | $35,806 |
| 43 | Kansas | $45,500 | $33,374 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $45,500 | $35,649 |
| 45 | Iowa | $45,400 | $33,301 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $45,400 | $33,301 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $45,000 | $33,008 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $45,000 | $33,008 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $44,700 | $32,787 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $44,700 | $32,787 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $44,400 | $32,567 |
What moves with you and what does not
Bookkeeper does not require state licensure, so nothing formal stops you working in any state on this list. Where pay differences persist, they reflect employer concentration and cost of living rather than a regulatory barrier — which also means they compress faster than they do in licensed fields.
Tax and what the numbers are worth
Income tax reshuffles this ranking. Florida appears in the top ten and levies no state income tax, so the gross figures understate take-home there by roughly 3–6% relative to a taxing state at the same salary. Against a high-tax state, that is worth several thousand dollars a year at this occupation's median of $47,000.
No state funds itself on nothing. The income-tax advantage in these states typically shows up again as higher property or sales tax, which changes the calculation depending on whether you rent, own, and how much you spend.
The spread from Mississippi ($44,400) to New York ($52,500) is 18%. Cost of living explains most of it — a state paying 25% above the national median for this role usually costs proportionally more to live in, which is why cost-adjusted rankings look different from nominal ones.
Where the field is heading
Worth weighing against the pay figures: Bookkeeper employment is projected to decline 6% nationally through 2034. There are still roughly 170,000 openings a year from replacement demand, but a shrinking field rewards geographic flexibility and tends to punish being in the wrong state at the wrong time.
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.