Accounting Clerk Salary Overview

Accounting clerks track and record transactions and maintain financial records. They also manage accounts payable and receivable, reconcile bank statements, and retrieve financial data for use in reports.

The rise of accounting software and artificial intelligence (AI) may impact the accounting clerk profession. By understanding the changes looming on the horizon, you can stay ahead of shifting job market conditions and adapt to a changing environment.

Learn more about the current and evolving accounting clerk job market in this guide.

How Much Does an Accounting Clerk Make?

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks earned a median annual salary of $47,440, according to May 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) . The BLS also reports a significant salary range, which spans from $32,460 at the 10th percentile to $68,860 at the 90th percentile.

Factors that influence your earning potential as an accounting clerk include:

• Industry or sector of employment
• Location
• Experience

To increase your earning potential, consider advancing your education, specializing your skills, or both.

Salary by Education

While some employers hire accounting clerks who have a high school diploma, many prefer or require a postsecondary credential. This could include a college-level accounting diploma or certificate, or an associate or bachelor's degree. Accounting professionals with graduate degrees typically pursue higher-level roles, such as the staff accountant or certified public accountant (CPA) paths.

The more education you get, the more your earning potential will usually increase. For example, you can qualify for a CPA license with a bachelor's degree and 1-2 years of the type of work experience you can obtain as an accounting clerk.

The following table highlights the average salaries earned by accounting professionals with various levels of educational attainment. It is not specific to accounting clerks but instead focuses on the credentials held by members of the accounting labor force.

Salary by Experience

Experience level often strongly impacts an accounting clerk's salary. Skills and confidence tend to increase with experience, while errors and oversights tend to diminish.

Some accounting clerk's salaries include discretionary pay such as bonuses, which employers may offer as a reward for good performance. Experienced accounting clerks often find it easier to meet or exceed employer expectations, and may therefore secure discretionary compensation more readily.

The following table explores accounting clerk salary data by experience level. Note the steady, consistent increases among the profiled career stages.

Salary by Location

Accounting clerk salaries also vary by location, sometimes dramatically. Employers typically align the salaries they offer with the local cost of living, paying more in higher-cost areas and less in lower-cost areas.

Labor market supply-and-demand dynamics can also play a role. When employers have a large pool of available talent to draw from, they are less likely to offer a pay premium while the opposite is true if the labor supply is short on the skills employers need.

The following tables profile the top-paying states and metropolitan areas for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Note that the states that pay higher salaries also tend to have higher costs of living.

Where Should You Work as an Accounting Clerk?

Overall labor market demand for accounting clerks is projected to contract in the coming years. The BLS cites technological innovation as the leading factor behind the expected decline. Advanced accounting software has automated many basic accounting functions, enabling employers to complete the same task volume with fewer human workers.

However, the evolving landscape also offers opportunities to forward-thinking accounting professionals. Accounting clerks have traditionally performed supporting duties focused on technical bookkeeping and administration tasks. Those who develop analytical skills and insights through experience and higher education can pursue more advanced roles that current technologies cannot replace.

Best Areas

Accounting clerks can work virtually anywhere, especially now that remote employment has become commonplace. However, job opportunities tend to cluster in larger cities, given their stronger presence of commercial, financial, and industrial activity.

The following tables explore location-specific employment levels and job growth projections for accounting clerks. Note that some states, led by Utah, project to see positive rather than negative employment growth for accounting clerks from 2023-33. Other states are projected to have high numbers of annual openings for bookkeeping clerks despite negative overall growth projections.

Best Industries

The industry in which they work can also impact an accounting clerk's salary. Some industries offer significantly higher-than-average pay rates, while others employ large numbers of accounting clerks and can serve as good places to seek employment — especially if you are just starting out in the profession.

The tables below look at the top-paying industries for accounting clerks and the industries that host the largest number of accounting clerk jobs. Note that with the exception of scientific research and development services, the top-paying industries have relatively small employment numbers. This suggests that specialization may play a role in those industries' employment trends.

Questions About an Accounting Clerk's Salary