Occupations · Office and Administrative Support
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
Compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete. Perform any combination of routine calculating, posting, and verifying duties to obtain primary financial data for use in maintaining accounting records. May also check the accuracy of figures, calculations, and postings pertaining to business transactions recorded by other workers.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 43-3031.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 77% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $59,170 | 87,860 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $56,730 | 57,520 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $51,530 | 37,570 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $50,390 | 36,080 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $48,980 | 30,640 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $49,140 | 27,680 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $51,290 | 24,810 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $58,400 | 22,660 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $49,900 | 21,350 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $58,390 | 21,300 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $57,010 | 17,990 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $64,480 | 17,670 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Some college, no degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.
- Prepare and process payroll information.
- Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes.
- Prepare bank deposits by compiling data from cashiers, verifying and balancing receipts, and sending cash, checks, or other forms of payment to banks.
- Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.
- Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents.
- Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers.
- Calculate and prepare checks for utilities, taxes, and other payments.
- Monitor status of loans and accounts to ensure that payments are up to date.
- Reconcile records of bank transactions.
- Compile budget data and documents, based on estimated revenues and expenses and previous budgets.
- Code documents according to company procedures.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2017-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2017-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 5 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 42
No longer listed 19
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| tax clerk | 4312.7 | close |
| accounting assistant | 3313.1 | broader |
| auditing clerk | 4312.1 | broader |
| bookkeeper | 3313.2 | broader |
| accounting analyst | 2411.1.1 | broader |
| accountant | 2411.1 | broader |
| billing clerk | 4311.1 | broader |
| payroll clerk | 4313.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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