Typical entry: Some college, no degree
Bookkeeper
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks record transactions, reconcile bank accounts, run payroll and invoices, and prepare the numbers an accountant closes the books with. Small businesses and accounting firms are the main employers.
By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET
What a bookkeeper makes
Median pay, May 2025, United States
$50,670
$24.36 an hour, median
- 25th percentile
- $43,520
- 75th percentile
- $61,470
- 90th percentile
- $74,550
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages of employed workers, not offers.
- Typical entry education
- Some college, no degree
- BLS
- Workers without a bachelor's
- 81%
- O*NET
- Growth, 2025 to 2035
- -5.6%
- BLS projections
- Openings a year
- 144,100
- BLS projections
How people get in without a degree
BLS lists some college with no degree as the typical entry education, and many bookkeepers enter with a certificate and software skills (QuickBooks or Xero) rather than any degree. The Intuit Academy Bookkeeping certificate is built for exactly that entry, and freelance bookkeeping is a common first step.
The work, as O*NET defines it: 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.
The next step
Intuit Academy Bookkeeping Professional Certificate
- Typical cost
- $49 per month on Coursera, typically $100 to $200 total
- Time to complete
- About 2 to 4 months
Where to start Intuit Academy Bookkeeping Professional Certificate
Costs and durations are ranges gathered from provider and state sources; confirm the current price and your state's rules before you pay anything. Never pay a fee to apply for a job.
Pay by state
Median pay for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.
| State | Hourly median | Annual median | 25th to 75th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $31.34 | $65,180 | $55,280 to $77,700 | 1,790 |
| Connecticut | $28.83 | $59,970 | $49,840 to $70,710 | 14,930 |
| Massachusetts | $28.77 | $59,830 | $49,160 to $69,110 | 29,110 |
| California | $28.48 | $59,230 | $48,600 to $70,600 | 151,870 |
| Washington | $28.18 | $58,620 | $49,830 to $66,400 | 32,930 |
| New Jersey | $28.03 | $58,300 | $48,400 to $67,270 | 37,550 |
| New York | $27.96 | $58,160 | $47,400 to $69,330 | 84,280 |
| Alaska | $27.13 | $56,430 | $47,270 to $64,360 | 4,580 |
| Vermont | $26.31 | $54,720 | $47,850 to $63,420 | 2,950 |
| Minnesota | $26.25 | $54,600 | $46,970 to $62,640 | 26,850 |
| Oregon | $25.99 | $54,060 | $45,730 to $62,930 | 21,710 |
| Colorado | $25.96 | $54,000 | $46,400 to $64,170 | 26,140 |
| Maryland | $25.74 | $53,540 | $45,990 to $63,040 | 18,170 |
| Rhode Island | $25.61 | $53,280 | $46,800 to $63,160 | 4,570 |
| New Hampshire | $25.22 | $52,450 | $44,980 to $61,140 | 7,180 |
| Delaware | $24.89 | $51,780 | $44,980 to $61,620 | 4,600 |
| Virginia | $24.82 | $51,620 | $44,420 to $62,230 | 31,990 |
| Arizona | $24.32 | $50,590 | $44,980 to $59,550 | 22,690 |
| Maine | $24.28 | $50,510 | $45,100 to $60,210 | 7,390 |
| Nevada | $24.22 | $50,380 | $43,800 to $60,290 | 15,180 |
| Wisconsin | $24.20 | $50,340 | $44,580 to $59,380 | 25,960 |
| North Dakota | $23.90 | $49,710 | $44,750 to $58,990 | 4,290 |
| Illinois | $23.83 | $49,560 | $42,680 to $60,130 | 51,470 |
| Utah | $23.77 | $49,440 | $41,600 to $59,670 | 12,650 |
| Georgia | $23.73 | $49,350 | $40,410 to $60,010 | 38,700 |
| Florida | $23.72 | $49,330 | $42,890 to $59,960 | 88,670 |
| Michigan | $23.55 | $48,980 | $42,740 to $58,530 | 37,550 |
| Texas | $23.52 | $48,910 | $40,710 to $60,320 | 122,400 |
| Ohio | $23.47 | $48,810 | $42,360 to $58,720 | 45,140 |
| Hawaii | $23.43 | $48,730 | $42,340 to $58,790 | 5,220 |
| Pennsylvania | $23.29 | $48,440 | $41,840 to $58,910 | 48,920 |
| Idaho | $23.23 | $48,310 | $40,770 to $58,660 | 9,540 |
| Iowa | $23.17 | $48,180 | $41,140 to $57,540 | 14,020 |
| Tennessee | $23.16 | $48,180 | $40,330 to $58,460 | 37,680 |
| New Mexico | $23.12 | $48,080 | $40,170 to $58,280 | 7,780 |
| Missouri | $23.07 | $47,990 | $40,220 to $58,140 | 21,400 |
| South Carolina | $23.05 | $47,940 | $39,810 to $58,240 | 19,980 |
| North Carolina | $23.04 | $47,930 | $39,870 to $58,060 | 48,760 |
| Wyoming | $23.03 | $47,910 | $39,880 to $57,510 | 3,480 |
| Indiana | $22.99 | $47,820 | $39,970 to $57,770 | 29,910 |
| Kansas | $22.74 | $47,290 | $39,310 to $56,480 | 15,380 |
| Montana | $22.73 | $47,270 | $40,510 to $55,790 | 6,980 |
| Nebraska | $22.65 | $47,110 | $39,000 to $54,900 | 10,050 |
| Kentucky | $22.38 | $46,550 | $37,450 to $56,610 | 23,480 |
| South Dakota | $22.28 | $46,340 | $39,370 to $52,000 | 10,200 |
| Oklahoma | $22.20 | $46,180 | $38,050 to $56,360 | 16,490 |
| Louisiana | $21.58 | $44,890 | $35,990 to $54,170 | 18,980 |
| Alabama | $21.46 | $44,640 | $36,390 to $50,680 | 19,890 |
| West Virginia | $20.62 | $42,890 | $36,450 to $49,520 | 7,620 |
| Arkansas | $20.60 | $42,840 | $36,020 to $51,100 | 12,510 |
| Mississippi | $20.60 | $42,840 | $34,890 to $51,080 | 12,160 |
Questions
Do you need a degree to be a bookkeeper?
No. BLS lists "some college, no degree" as the typical education for entry, and 81% of workers in the occupation report less than a bachelor's degree (O*NET). The usual credential is intuit Academy Bookkeeping Professional Certificate.
How much does a bookkeeper make?
The median pay was $50,670 a year ($24.36 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $43,520 and $61,470, and the top 10 percent earned more than $74,550.
How long does it take to become a bookkeeper?
About 2 to 4 months. The typical cost is $49 per month on Coursera, typically $100 to $200 total.
Is bookkeeper work growing?
BLS projects employment to decline 5.6% from 2025 to 2035 with about 144,100 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving the occupation.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 43-3031.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).
- O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0. The share without a bachelor’s degree is our summary of O*NET’s education distribution; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile