Tax Preparers Salary
In Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, tax preparers earn $60,650 at the median, or about $29.16 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $94K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 104.82), that's roughly $57,861 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,709/month, about 43.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $61K get you in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington’s Regional Price Parity (104.82). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About tax preparers
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What this looks like in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Tax preparers pay in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington tracks closely to the national median, $61K locally vs. $55K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,709/month, which is 42.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 104.82) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tax preparers in metros near Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Duluth | $50K | $57K |
| St. Cloud | $59K | $68K |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha | $50K | $52K |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines | $64K | $69K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Entry-level tax preparers (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $61K. Top earners bring in $94K or more, a $56K spread from bottom to top.
Tax Preparers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Tax Preparers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $72K | +31% | 7,620 |
| California | $70K | +28% | 10,270 |
| Utah | $67K | +21% | 1,190 |
| Montana | $63K | +15% | 360 |
| Missouri | $63K | +14% | 1,330 |
| Colorado | $63K | +14% | 1,540 |
| Alaska | $62K | +14% | 70 |
| Oregon | $61K | +12% | 1,590 |
| New Hampshire | $61K | +12% | 420 |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | +12% | 2,010 |
| Nevada | $60K | +9% | 1,410 |
| Minnesota | $59K | +8% | 1,040 |
| Virginia | $59K | +7% | 1,960 |
| Massachusetts | $58K | +6% | 1,500 |
| Wyoming | $58K | +6% | 90 |
| Rhode Island | $58K | +5% | N/A |
| North Dakota | $57K | +4% | 220 |
| Illinois | $54K | -1% | 1,310 |
| Iowa | $54K | -2% | 780 |
| South Dakota | $53K | -4% | 280 |
| Delaware | $52K | -5% | 240 |
| Mississippi | $51K | -8% | 580 |
| Georgia | $49K | -10% | 1,670 |
| Ohio | $49K | -11% | 1,590 |
| Florida | $49K | -11% | N/A |
| North Carolina | $48K | -12% | 2,710 |
| Texas | $47K | -14% | 6,010 |
| Kansas | $47K | -14% | 450 |
| Maine | $47K | -14% | 250 |
| Maryland | $47K | -14% | 1,240 |
| Michigan | $46K | -16% | 1,660 |
| Indiana | $46K | -17% | 1,820 |
| Washington | $45K | -17% | 1,360 |
| Arizona | $45K | -18% | 2,240 |
| Wisconsin | $44K | -19% | 1,550 |
| New Jersey | $43K | -21% | 3,220 |
| Nebraska | $43K | -22% | 420 |
| Oklahoma | $43K | -22% | 1,300 |
| Connecticut | $41K | -25% | 700 |
| South Carolina | $39K | -29% | 1,360 |
| Louisiana | $39K | -29% | 650 |
| New Mexico | $38K | -31% | 340 |
| Kentucky | $37K | -33% | 1,080 |
| Tennessee | $37K | -33% | 1,260 |
| West Virginia | $36K | -35% | 330 |
| Arkansas | $35K | -36% | 550 |
| Hawaii | $35K | -37% | N/A |
| Alabama | $33K | -39% | 290 |
Showing 1–10 of 48 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track tax preparers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tax preparer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $61K, rent takes 42.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,709/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 tax preparers in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tax preparers typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,250/month. At HUD’s $1,709/month FMR, rent would take 76% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is tax preparer a high-paying job in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $61K locally vs. $55K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington compare to the national average for tax preparers?
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington pays $61K median vs. the U.S. average of $55K — that’s +10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 104.82), the purchasing-power equivalent is $58K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do tax preparers make in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?
The median is $60,650 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,500, and experienced tax preparers can clear $93,810. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $61K enough to live in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,006/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,709/month, which eats 42.7% 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 tax preparers salary go in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington?
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington has a Regional Price Parity of 104.82 (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 tax preparers salary is worth about $57,861 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tax preparers 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.