186 metro areas

Tax Preparer Salary by City (2026)

Tax preparers earn the most in San Francisco, CA, an average of $84,300 a year, against $60,930 nationally. After local prices, pay goes furthest in Kansas City, MO-KS ($89,180 in national-average dollars). Every metro area with its own BLS estimate is ranked below.

US average (mean): $60,930BLS OEWS, May 2025
Highest-paying city: $84,300San Francisco, CA
Best after cost of living: $89,180Kansas City, MO-KS
Metro areas: 186With their own estimate

Top cities

Highest-paying cities for tax preparers

Mean annual wage

Top 10 metro areas

San Francisco, CA$84,300
San Jose, CA$83,550
Kansas City, MO-KS$82,530
Anchorage, AK$77,630
Jefferson City, MO$77,170
Waco, TX$76,420
New York, NY-NJ$75,630
St. Louis, MO-IL$74,880
Salt Lake City, UT$72,240
Denver, CO$72,160

Top 10 metro areas by mean wage for tax preparers
Item	Value
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$84,300
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$83,550
Kansas City, MO-KS	$82,530
Anchorage, AK	$77,630
Jefferson City, MO	$77,170
Waco, TX	$76,420
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$75,630
St. Louis, MO-IL	$74,880
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT	$72,240
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$72,160

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

At national-average prices

Mean wage ÷ BEA price level

Kansas City, MO-KS$82,530 nominal$89,180
Jefferson City, MO$77,170 nominal$87,720
Waco, TX$76,420 nominal$82,570
St. Louis, MO-IL$74,880 nominal$78,750
Florence, SC$65,790 nominal$75,820
San Jose, CA$83,550 nominal$75,660
Billings, MT$70,220 nominal$75,080
Anchorage, AK$77,630 nominal$73,640
Fargo, ND-MN$66,580 nominal$73,270
Des Moines, IA$66,960 nominal$73,020

Top 10 metro areas by price-adjusted mean wage for tax preparers
Item	Value
Kansas City, MO-KS	$89,180
Jefferson City, MO	$87,720
Waco, TX	$82,570
St. Louis, MO-IL	$78,750
Florence, SC	$75,820
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$75,660
Billings, MT	$75,080
Anchorage, AK	$73,640
Fargo, ND-MN	$73,270
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$73,020

Source: BLS OEWS 2025 · BEA RPP 2024

Every city

Tax Preparer salary in every metro area

Mean annual wage, with the Department of Labor's entry (Level I) and experienced (Level IV) prevailing-wage benchmarks for the same metro, and the mean at national-average prices. Sorted by mean pay.

Tax Preparer pay in every metro area with a BLS estimate
#	Metro area	Mean	Entry (Level I)	Experienced (Level IV)	At US prices
1	San Francisco, CA	$84,300	$57,820	$97,340	$72,920
2	San Jose, CA	$83,550	$54,560	$97,840	$75,660
3	Kansas City, MO-KS	$82,530	$41,040	$102,980	$89,180
4	Anchorage, AK	$77,630	$40,870	$95,720	$73,640
5	Jefferson City, MO	$77,170	$45,740	$92,660	$87,720
6	Waco, TX	$76,420	$51,960	$88,480	$82,570
7	New York, NY-NJ	$75,630	$43,890	$91,250	$67,190
8	St. Louis, MO-IL	$74,880	$37,000	$93,540	$78,750
9	Salt Lake City, UT	$72,240	$49,520	$83,410	$71,620
10	Denver, CO	$72,160	$42,620	$86,690	$68,220
11	Santa Rosa, CA	$71,340	$52,520	$80,620	$66,190
12	Las Vegas, NV	$70,640	$42,100	$84,700	$70,490
13	Billings, MT	$70,220	$48,260	$81,040	$75,080
14	San Diego, CA	$69,700	$42,890	$82,910	$62,290
15	Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$68,720	$36,250	$84,740	$67,010
16	Salinas, CA	$68,200	$42,350	$80,930	$62,540
17	Los Angeles, CA	$68,140	$38,600	$82,700	$60,000
18	Provo, UT	$67,810	$43,040	$80,020	$69,030
19	Stockton, CA	$67,450	$46,180	$77,920	$64,180
20	Helena, MT	$67,410	$48,730	$76,610	$70,460
21	Portland, OR-WA	$67,310	$44,930	$78,310	$63,850
22	Syracuse, NY	$67,180	$42,080	$79,560	$70,170
23	Modesto, CA	$66,980	$42,950	$78,810	$64,340
24	Des Moines, IA	$66,960	$42,240	$79,140	$73,020
25	Sacramento, CA	$66,850	$46,280	$76,980	$62,670
26	Amarillo, TX	$66,640	$39,960	$79,790	$72,580
27	Pittsburgh, PA	$66,620	$33,280	$83,030	$70,370
28	Fargo, ND-MN	$66,580	$42,430	$78,460	$73,270
29	Rochester, NY	$66,390	$35,570	$81,580	$68,420
30	Santa Cruz, CA	$66,290	$44,840	$76,860	$60,320
31	Florence, SC	$65,790	$31,700	$82,600	$75,820
32	Boulder, CO	$65,600	$41,770	$77,330	$62,360
33	Phoenix, AZ	$65,350	$40,730	$77,500	$63,250
34	Buffalo, NY	$65,310	$39,980	$77,790	$68,140
35	Bend, OR	$65,250	$47,490	$74,010	$62,980
36	Sebastian, FL	$65,170	$34,690	$80,180	$66,290
37	Medford, OR	$64,850	$45,740	$74,260	$63,930
38	Richmond, VA	$64,770	$38,460	$77,730	$66,190
39	Springfield, MO	$64,650	$32,470	$80,480	$72,980
40	Reno, NV	$64,560	$48,150	$72,650	$63,910
41	Albany, NY	$64,250	$41,680	$75,380	$64,530
42	Kiryas Joel, NY	$64,250	$39,480	$76,460	$58,720
43	Bakersfield, CA	$64,110	$41,910	$75,050	$63,550
44	San Luis Obispo, CA	$63,840	$43,330	$73,920	$58,790
45	Charlotte, NC-SC	$63,670	$38,830	$75,880	$65,400
46	Minneapolis, MN-WI	$63,480	$40,210	$74,960	$60,560
47	Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV	$63,460	$41,560	$74,260	$58,280
48	Greenville, SC	$63,380	$32,070	$78,790	$67,960
49	Oxnard, CA	$63,360	$44,220	$72,780	$57,320
50	Vallejo, CA	$63,340	$44,950	$72,380	$58,390
51	Boise City, ID	$63,270	$31,120	$79,100	$64,300
52	Davenport, IA-IL	$62,710	$35,780	$75,960	$70,400
53	Dubuque, IA	$62,500	$40,190	$73,510	$71,570
54	Erie, PA	$62,440	$37,340	$74,800	$68,650
55	Eugene, OR	$62,030	$42,740	$71,530	$61,070
56	Redding, CA	$62,000	$42,430	$71,660	$61,580
57	Salem, OR	$61,820	$45,070	$70,050	$59,640
58	Albany, OR	$61,760	$42,890	$71,050	$60,490
59	Durham, NC	$61,570	$39,400	$72,510	$63,100
60	Lancaster, PA	$61,510	$39,560	$72,320	$62,600
61	Greeley, CO	$61,320	$37,190	$73,200	$61,210
62	Boston, MA-NH	$60,940	$40,250	$71,140	$56,290
63	Bridgeport, CT	$60,880	$38,080	$72,110	$56,970
64	Naples, FL	$60,880	$35,570	$73,360	$58,990
65	St. Cloud, MN	$60,740	$37,150	$72,340	$69,310
66	Harrisburg, PA	$60,610	$35,980	$72,720	$61,440
67	Charleston, SC	$60,510	$34,670	$73,240	$59,930
68	Logan, UT-ID	$59,740	$40,910	$69,010	$62,280
69	North Port, FL	$59,610	$34,340	$72,070	$58,200
70	Austin, TX	$59,550	$36,520	$70,890	$60,720
71	Tucson, AZ	$59,490	$36,340	$70,910	$61,400
72	Lansing, MI	$59,400	$37,130	$70,370	$62,530
73	Wichita, KS	$59,280	$36,710	$70,390	$66,650
74	Sioux Falls, SD-MN	$59,160	$42,020	$67,620	$65,280
75	Prescott Valley, AZ	$59,070	$35,630	$70,620	$60,120
76	Punta Gorda, FL	$58,880	$33,590	$71,360	$58,570
77	Manchester, NH	$58,680	$36,320	$69,680	$55,540
78	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN	$58,470	$30,490	$72,240	$62,820
79	Grand Rapids, MI	$58,340	$37,380	$68,680	$61,060
80	Fresno, CA	$58,160	$38,830	$67,660	$56,930
81	Houston, TX	$58,050	$34,670	$69,560	$58,860
82	Cape Coral, FL	$57,990	$33,700	$69,950	$56,660
83	Atlanta, GA	$57,910	$34,670	$69,370	$57,880
84	Dallas, TX	$57,780	$34,530	$69,220	$56,050
85	Binghamton, NY	$57,660	$35,320	$68,660	$62,090
86	El Paso, TX	$57,660	$45,910	$63,440	$64,130
87	Grand Junction, CO	$57,640	$36,460	$68,080	$60,370
88	Tampa, FL	$57,620	$37,900	$67,330	$57,110
89	Rapid City, SD	$57,470	$44,990	$63,610	$64,460
90	Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	$57,450	$35,860	$68,080	$66,450
91	Asheville, NC	$57,430	$36,210	$67,890	$59,510
92	Lafayette, IN	$57,300	$32,300	$69,620	$61,330
93	Ocala, FL	$56,950	$32,010	$69,240	$59,800
94	Midland, TX	$56,800	$35,590	$67,250	$59,300
95	Tulsa, OK	$56,760	$31,990	$68,950	$63,620
96	Jacksonville, FL	$56,720	$34,110	$67,870	$57,010
97	Ogden, UT	$56,560	$37,360	$66,000	$56,360
98	Cedar Rapids, IA	$56,490	$35,880	$66,640	$63,500
99	Roanoke, VA	$56,490	$35,570	$66,790	$60,340
100	Baltimore, MD	$56,160	$40,190	$64,020	$53,750
101	Wilmington, NC	$56,120	$37,880	$65,100	$58,200
102	College Station, TX	$56,100	$32,200	$67,870	$61,680
103	Duluth, MN-WI	$55,830	$35,530	$65,830	$62,890
104	Detroit, MI	$55,760	$34,720	$66,140	$55,590
105	Providence, RI-MA	$55,540	$45,610	$60,420	$54,570
106	Raleigh, NC	$55,450	$39,790	$63,170	$56,490
107	Dayton, OH	$55,410	$36,550	$64,710	$59,780
108	Charleston, WV	$55,370	$30,370	$67,680	$62,410
109	Fayetteville, NC	$55,330	$37,040	$64,310	$60,160
110	Chicago, IL-IN	$55,160	$37,230	$64,000	$53,250
111	Barnstable Town, MA	$55,120	$38,520	$63,290	$56,040
112	Colorado Springs, CO	$55,100	$35,360	$64,810	$54,710
113	Greensboro, NC	$55,080	$36,230	$64,360	$59,310
114	Lakeland, FL	$54,640	$31,950	$65,810	$56,250
115	Nashville, TN	$54,500	$32,140	$65,520	$56,570
116	San Juan, PR	$54,410	$30,930	$65,980	N/A
117	Virginia Beach, VA-NC	$54,350	$36,300	$63,230	$55,490
118	Lincoln, NE	$54,330	$36,860	$62,940	$59,320
119	Deltona, FL	$54,160	$31,990	$65,080	$54,510
120	Fort Wayne, IN	$53,660	$33,820	$63,440	$57,970
121	Tyler, TX	$53,500	$31,100	$64,520	$58,050
122	Orlando, FL	$53,440	$30,870	$64,540	$52,690
123	Tallahassee, FL	$53,410	$31,600	$64,170	$56,870
124	Milwaukee, WI	$53,310	$35,360	$62,150	$54,990
125	Hickory, NC	$53,210	$37,070	$61,150	$60,130
126	Winston, NC	$53,040	$36,280	$61,300	$57,630
127	Portland, ME	$52,400	$42,870	$57,100	$51,440
128	Port St. Lucie, FL	$52,310	$31,050	$62,750	$52,190
129	Indianapolis, IN	$51,920	$32,410	$61,530	$54,260
130	Seattle, WA	$51,850	$42,310	$56,580	$46,660
131	Corpus Christi, TX	$51,670	$29,640	$62,520	$55,760
132	Palm Bay, FL	$51,460	$32,950	$60,590	$51,460
133	Lexington, KY	$51,400	$28,330	$62,750	$55,330
134	Little Rock, AR	$51,400	$29,810	$62,030	$57,520
135	Gulfport, MS	$51,360	$30,220	$61,760	$57,060
136	Chico, CA	$50,860	$37,650	$57,370	$50,260
137	Lake Havasu City, AZ	$50,670	$34,860	$58,470	$53,850
138	Madison, WI	$50,460	$35,380	$57,870	$51,870
139	Grants Pass, OR	$50,250	$37,020	$56,780	$51,400
140	Sherman, TX	$49,820	$27,680	$60,720	$53,130
141	Jacksonville, NC	$49,710	$34,940	$56,990	$53,980
142	St. George, UT	$49,440	$38,020	$55,080	$50,800
143	Miami, FL	$49,190	$29,330	$58,970	$43,090
144	Green Bay, WI	$49,090	$35,380	$55,830	$52,740
145	Kennewick, WA	$49,050	$40,330	$53,350	$49,010
146	Warner Robins, GA	$48,960	$29,950	$58,320	$52,200
147	Dover, DE	$48,880	$35,860	$55,290	$50,130
148	Fayetteville, AR	$48,440	$29,100	$57,970	$53,030
149	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$48,360	$32,680	$56,100	$50,710
150	Knoxville, TN	$48,260	$28,580	$57,950	$52,130
151	Racine, WI	$48,260	$32,550	$55,970	$50,290
152	Scranton, PA	$48,190	$31,700	$56,310	$51,510
153	Coeur d'Alene, ID	$48,110	$32,140	$55,990	$48,950
154	Lubbock, TX	$48,010	$30,560	$56,600	$52,580
155	Evansville, IN	$47,690	$31,100	$55,890	$52,100
156	Oklahoma City, OK	$47,420	$29,700	$56,160	$52,450
157	Augusta, GA-SC	$47,170	$28,480	$56,390	$51,330
158	Janesville, WI	$47,050	$31,370	$54,790	$50,210
159	McAllen, TX	$47,010	$28,310	$56,200	$54,730
160	Hartford, CT	$46,740	$36,400	$51,810	$45,490
161	Brownsville, TX	$46,700	$28,180	$55,810	$54,320
162	Spokane, WA	$46,200	$37,210	$50,630	$46,040
163	Bellingham, WA	$45,860	$38,920	$49,280	$44,380
164	Omaha, NE-IA	$45,780	$36,090	$50,540	$49,810
165	Atlantic City, NJ	$45,550	$33,800	$51,360	$46,080
166	Shreveport, LA	$45,260	$27,910	$53,810	$53,390
167	Waterbury, CT	$45,240	$35,340	$50,110	$45,340
168	Yuma, AZ	$44,840	$32,300	$51,020	$48,370
169	Eau Claire, WI	$44,620	$31,490	$51,080	$48,080
170	Kingsport, TN-VA	$44,570	$27,390	$53,040	$51,560
171	Chattanooga, TN-GA	$44,320	$29,540	$51,630	$48,460
172	Terre Haute, IN	$44,220	$29,890	$51,270	$50,370
173	Columbia, SC	$43,890	$27,680	$51,850	$46,860
174	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	$43,430	$25,900	$52,060	$47,110
175	Killeen, TX	$42,140	$32,280	$47,010	$46,240
176	Vineland, NJ	$41,930	$33,650	$46,010	$43,690
177	Albuquerque, NM	$41,620	$28,560	$48,070	$43,560
178	Lake Charles, LA	$41,390	$24,440	$49,730	$48,210
179	Urban Honolulu, HI	$41,370	$29,540	$47,220	$37,280
180	Fort Smith, AR-OK	$41,200	$27,830	$47,780	$47,970
181	Bowling Green, KY	$40,270	$25,360	$47,630	$44,660
182	Clarksville, TN-KY	$39,770	$24,210	$47,420	$43,730
183	Spartanburg, SC	$38,790	$27,660	$44,280	$42,600
184	Huntington, WV-KY-OH	$38,500	$22,710	$46,260	$43,540
185	Myrtle Beach, SC	$37,750	$28,620	$42,270	$40,310
186	Sumter, SC	$33,530	$29,720	$35,400	$38,090

More on tax preparers

Tax Preparer career profile Tax Preparer salary by state Cost of living calculator

Method

About these numbers

Mean wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 estimates for each metropolitan statistical area, as published in the Department of Labor’s 2026–27 OFLC prevailing-wage file. Only metros with their own BLS estimate are listed.
Entry (Level I) and experienced (Level IV) are the Department of Labor’s prevailing-wage levels for the occupation in that metro, used for employer visa filings. They are benchmarks from the same OEWS survey, not percentiles.
OEWS top-codes wages at $115 an hour ($239,200 a year); top-coded means are shown as "$239,200+" and left out of rankings.
At US prices divides the mean by the metro’s BEA Regional Price Parity (2024) over 100, a NueCareer calculation.

Questions

Tax Preparer salary by city: FAQ

Which city pays tax preparers the most?

San Francisco, CA, where the average (mean) wage is $84,300 a year, followed by San Jose, CA ($83,550), Kansas City, MO-KS ($82,530), Anchorage, AK ($77,630). The national mean is $60,930 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Where do tax preparers earn the most after cost of living?

Divided by each metro's BEA price level, pay goes furthest in Kansas City, MO-KS ($89,180 at national prices, $82,530 nominal), Jefferson City, MO ($87,720 at national prices, $77,170 nominal), Waco, TX ($82,570 at national prices, $76,420 nominal).

How much do tax preparers make in the biggest cities?

New York, NY-NJ: $75,630; Los Angeles, CA: $68,140; Chicago, IL-IN: $55,160; Dallas, TX: $57,780; Houston, TX: $58,050 (mean annual wage, BLS OEWS May 2025).

Where do tax preparers earn the least?

Of the 186 metro areas with their own estimate, Sumter, SC has the lowest mean wage, $33,530. At local prices that is worth $38,090.