BLS OEWS May 2025
Bookkeeper salary, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
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For a Bookkeeper pay comparison in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, BLS reports a median annual wage of $50,090 for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (SOC 43-3031, May 2025). This is the mapped occupation's benchmark, not a separate title-specific survey. That is $580 (1.1%) below the U.S. median of $50,670.
Direct match
BLS publishes this occupation under its own code, 43-3031 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks. Titles, seniority and industry inside it still vary.
| Percentile | Wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $37,470 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th | $44,450 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median | $50,090 | Half earned less and half earned more. |
| 75th | $60,970 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th | $72,060 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $53,270 | Average wage across all workers. |
| Percentile | Wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $36,000 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th | $43,520 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median | $50,670 | Half earned less and half earned more. |
| 75th | $61,470 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th | $74,550 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $53,560 | Average wage across all workers. |
What BLS wages include and exclude
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
- Employment, area
- 12,750
- Location quotient
- 1.00
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, released 2026-05-15. SOC 43-3031 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, FL. BLS source tables and downloads; release notes. Select this SOC and area in the source files; the tables index is not an exact-row link.
What changed since May 2024
| Release | Median |
|---|---|
| BLS OEWS May 2024 | $49,650 |
| BLS OEWS May 2025 | $50,090 |
The published medians differ by $440. Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2024 and May 2025. This is not an annualized growth claim. Area definitions and the workers represented can change.
What belongs in the pay comparison
OEWS includes straight-time gross wages, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and employer-paid benefits. It is neither pure base salary nor total compensation. If this person covers a payroll deadline, an overdue billing queue or a late close, the overtime bill is separate. A shift differential is also excluded. Compare the regular wage first, then explain the extra hours and any incentive in the offer rather than hide them inside one annual amount.
Recruiter's read
Qualitative view from our desk. Not BLS data.
For Bookkeeper, discuss the work behind these requirements: QuickBooks Online or Desktop (ProAdvisor a plus); bank and credit card reconciliations; AP and AR entry and 1099 prep. Ask what the person completed themselves and what a manager or specialist reviewed. A system name on a resume does not establish depth in that workflow. The BLS figure describes the listed occupation, not a separately measured rate for this exact opening.
Common questions
Which median is used when comparing pay for Bookkeeper?
$50,090 is the annual median for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (SOC 43-3031) in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, FL, based on BLS May 2025. It is an occupation benchmark, not a separate compensation survey for this hiring title.
What does the middle half of workers earn?
The 25th percentile is $44,450 and the 75th percentile is $60,970 in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, FL. That is where the middle half of workers in this occupation fall.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimates 12,750 workers in Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, FL.
What does the upper percentile show?
The 90th percentile for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks is $72,060. 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned more.
Does BLS publish this exact title?
This is a direct occupation match to Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, but the row does not separate each employer's title or duties.
Related areas and roles
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Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, from BLS data.
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BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. These are published occupation estimates, not a quote for an exact niche title. Tool calculations use BLS values or your inputs, not predictions.
Reading this page's BLS evidence
What do the released numbers measure?
For Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, use the May 2025 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks occupation benchmark (SOC 43-3031): a annual median of $50,090. This title uses the occupation's own SOC line, which still combines different employer duties. BLS reports 12,750 jobs for the occupation here. Employment is not a count of available candidates.
How much room is inside the published band?
The middle half of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks wages in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL runs from $44,450 at P25 to $60,970 at P75, a width of $16,520. The distance from P25 to the median is $5,640; from the median to P75 it is $10,880. The upper part is wider. Compare an offer against those published points, but do not assign an exact percentile between them or label them junior, senior and manager pay.
How does this estimate compare with the national figure?
The Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks median in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL is $580 below the national occupation median of $50,670. Both rows use the same SOC, release and annual basis, not a local title survey paired with a national occupation total. The location quotient is 1. It measures employment concentration, not the cause of a wage gap or a cost-of-living adjustment.
Which other metro estimates can you compare?
For comparison with Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, the two nearest published metropolitan internal points are Wildwood-The Villages, FL ($46,500 annual median for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks); Homosassa Springs, FL ($44,360 annual median for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks). Only metros with a published median for this SOC qualify, so suppression can change the comparison set. Geography uses Census Gazetteer internal points where available, not commuting time or a claim about recruiting reach.
What can the industry rows tell you?
Among the loaded national industry rows for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, the highest numeric annual medians are Monetary Authorities-Central Bank (NAICS 521000), $65,060; Monetary Authorities-Central Bank (NAICS 521100), $65,060. This ranking excludes suppressed and top-coded medians and covers only the industries loaded for this brand. There is no industry-by-Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL wage cut in this dataset. These figures cannot establish a local industry premium.
What changed in the published median?
For Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, the median was $49,650 in 2024-05 and $50,090 in 2025-05. The difference is $440 upward. This subtracts two published estimates; it is not a growth forecast or a same-worker raise. The SOC and area codes match, but the surveyed employment mix can change.
What belongs outside the wage budget?
The Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks benchmark is neither pure base salary nor total compensation. Guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses are included in OEWS, so adding all commission again would double-count pay already covered. Overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and employer benefits are excluded. Budget those separately where relevant; this Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL row provides no amounts for them, equity or relocation.
Questions about this estimate
Which occupation benchmark applies to Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
$50,090 is the May 2025 annual median for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, SOC 43-3031, in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. A direct mapping does not establish a separate salary survey for this hiring title.
How wide is the published offer band for Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
For Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, P75 minus P25 is $16,520. The Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL endpoints are $44,450 and $60,970, not experience-level labels or an interpolated candidate percentile.
Can the industry figures be treated as Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL's local rates?
The loaded Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL industry rows describe national Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks wages. The Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL rows are not an industry-by-Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL breakdown, so no local industry premium is calculated.
What changed between releases for Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
The Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL annual medians were $49,650 in 2024-05 and $50,090 in 2025-05. The Bookkeeper in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL difference is $440; this is not a forecast or a same-worker raise.