Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Salary
In California, bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks earn $59,230 at the median, or about $28.48 an hour. The range runs from $42K at the entry level to $82K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.14), so that salary is closer to $55,804 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,471/month, about 63.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across California. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $59K get you in California?
About bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
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What this looks like in California
California sits well above the national pay line for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, local pay runs about 17% higher than the U.S. median of $51K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,471/month, which is 62.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 6% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.14), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, California
Entry-level bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (10th percentile) start around $42K. Mid-career wages sit at $59K. Top earners bring in $82K or more, a $40K spread from bottom to top.
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks salary by metro in California
25 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $66K | +12% | 7,590 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $66K | +11% | 18,100 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | $62K | +5% | 1,120 |
| Napa | $62K | +4% | 700 |
| Vallejo | $61K | +3% | 1,040 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | $61K | +3% | 2,040 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | $60K | +2% | 1,900 |
| Salinas | $59K | -0% | 1,270 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $59K | -1% | 53,910 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $59K | -1% | 12,830 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | $59K | -1% | 1,070 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | $58K | -3% | 3,250 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $57K | -4% | 8,680 |
| Stockton-Lodi | $56K | -5% | 2,080 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $56K | -6% | 12,710 |
| Yuba City | $55K | -7% | 460 |
| Modesto | $55K | -7% | 1,730 |
| Fresno | $54K | -9% | 4,310 |
| Bakersfield-Delano | $53K | -10% | 2,580 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | $53K | -11% | 370 |
| Merced | $52K | -13% | 680 |
| Visalia | $51K | -14% | 1,390 |
| Redding | $51K | -14% | 660 |
| Chico | $51K | -14% | 730 |
| El Centro | $48K | -19% | 530 |
Showing 1–10 of 25 metros
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Frequently asked questions
Can a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in California?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $59K, rent takes 62.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,471/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in California?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks typically earn — is $42K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,496/month. At HUD’s $2,471/month FMR, rent would take 99% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerk a high-paying job in California?
Local pay is 17% above the national median — $59K here vs. $51K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 6% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does California compare to the national average for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?
California pays $59K median vs. the U.S. average of $51K — that’s +17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.14), the purchasing-power equivalent is $56K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks make in California?
The median is $59,230 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $41,600, and experienced bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks can clear $81,990. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $59K enough to live in California?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,982/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,471/month, which eats 62.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary go in California?
California has a Regional Price Parity of 106.14 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary is worth about $55,804 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.