Tax Preparers Salary
In St. Louis, MO-IL, tax preparers earn $69,210 at the median, or about $33.27 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $123K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $72,784 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,218/month, or 26.8% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $69K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). 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 St. Louis
St. Louis sits well above the national pay line for tax preparers, local pay runs about 26% higher than the U.S. median of $55K. Rent runs $1,218/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 26.8% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) 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 St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $79K | $85K |
| Springfield | $57K | $64K |
| Jefferson City | $76K | $86K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $49K | $47K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level tax preparers (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $69K. Top earners bring in $123K or more, a $88K 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 St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tax preparer afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
Yes — at the median salary of $69K, rent takes 26.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for tax preparers in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tax preparers typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,130/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 57% 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 St. Louis?
Local pay is 26% above the national median — $69K here vs. $55K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for tax preparers?
St. Louis pays $69K median vs. the U.S. average of $55K — that’s +26%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $73K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do tax preparers make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $69,210 a year, that works out to about $33 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,500, and experienced tax preparers can clear $123,230. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $69K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,547/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 26.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a tax preparers salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tax preparers salary is worth about $72,784 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.