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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

13-2082 Tax Preparers

Prepare tax returns for individuals or small businesses. Excludes “Accountants and Auditors” (13-2011).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
66,670 2.8 % $23.82 $49,550 1.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.46 $13.68 $20.71 $30.32 $41.86
Annual Wage (2) $21,750 $28,450 $43,080 $63,070 $87,060


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services 64,420 6.59 $23.67 $49,230
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 560 0.04 $27.40 $56,990
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities 500 0.05 $36.02 $74,920
Legal Services 170 0.02 $28.49 $59,260
Employment Services 160 0.00 $26.37 $54,850

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services 64,420 6.59 $23.67 $49,230
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities 500 0.05 $36.02 $74,920
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 560 0.04 $27.40 $56,990
Legal Services 170 0.02 $28.49 $59,260
Office Administrative Services 60 0.01 $26.71 $55,550

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities 500 0.05 $36.02 $74,920
Management of Companies and Enterprises 120 0.01 $29.82 $62,030
Legal Services 170 0.02 $28.49 $59,260
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 560 0.04 $27.40 $56,990
Office Administrative Services 60 0.01 $26.71 $55,550


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 8,910 0.51 1.13 $28.22 $58,700
Texas 5,060 0.41 0.90 $25.71 $53,470
Florida 4,910 0.56 1.23 $21.18 $44,050
New York 4,200 0.44 0.97 $31.53 $65,580
Illinois 2,600 0.43 0.95 $19.22 $39,980




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Dakota 370 0.88 1.94 $20.01 $41,630
Idaho 610 0.83 1.83 $18.35 $38,170
Nebraska 710 0.72 1.58 $20.79 $43,250
Montana 330 0.71 1.56 $18.88 $39,260
Alaska 210 0.67 1.47 $28.31 $58,890




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 4,200 0.44 0.97 $31.53 $65,580
Colorado 1,080 0.40 0.89 $28.82 $59,940
Massachusetts 1,540 0.43 0.94 $28.67 $59,630
Alaska 210 0.67 1.47 $28.31 $58,890
California 8,910 0.51 1.13 $28.22 $58,700





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 4,660 0.48 1.06 $31.49 $65,500
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,570 0.57 1.26 $28.02 $58,280
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,050 0.44 0.97 $19.40 $40,350
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 1,700 0.65 1.42 $21.87 $45,490
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 1,670 0.53 1.16 $25.02 $52,050
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,520 0.42 0.92 $27.23 $56,640
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,430 0.58 1.27 $34.75 $72,280
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,370 0.49 1.08 $30.02 $62,440
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,200 0.44 0.97 $24.80 $51,590
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,060 0.35 0.76 $27.56 $57,330




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Grants Pass, OR 40 1.59 3.49 $14.90 $30,990
Rapid City, SD 90 1.41 3.12 $23.42 $48,710
San Angelo, TX 60 1.29 2.85 $21.41 $44,540
Reno, NV 310 1.28 2.83 $22.62 $47,050
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 220 1.27 2.79 (8) (8)
Fresno, CA 430 1.10 2.43 $25.94 $53,960
Boise City, ID 360 1.09 2.39 $16.97 $35,300
Billings, MT 90 1.05 2.31 $22.25 $46,270
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 500 1.02 2.24 $21.78 $45,310
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY 50 0.99 2.18 $16.51 $34,340




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 730 0.64 1.42 $37.80 $78,620
Abilene, TX 60 0.91 1.99 $35.79 $74,440
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,430 0.58 1.27 $34.75 $72,280
Danbury, CT (8) (8) (8) $34.20 $71,140
Burlington-South Burlington, VT (8) (8) (8) $32.95 $68,540
Stockton-Lodi, CA 60 0.25 0.56 $32.39 $67,370
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 4,660 0.48 1.06 $31.49 $65,500
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY (8) (8) (8) $31.15 $64,790
Boulder, CO (8) (8) (8) $30.95 $64,390
New Haven, CT (8) (8) (8) $30.83 $64,130

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 210 1.23 2.72 $14.66 $30,490
Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 190 1.04 2.29 $11.22 $23,350
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 160 1.20 2.65 $19.90 $41,380
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 150 0.62 1.38 $17.53 $36,460
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 140 0.36 0.79 $15.88 $33,030

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 110 1.38 3.04 $16.25 $33,790
Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 70 1.24 2.72 $19.53 $40,630
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 210 1.23 2.72 $14.66 $30,490
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 160 1.20 2.65 $19.90 $41,380
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 120 1.19 2.61 $9.55 $19,860

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 80 0.62 1.37 $30.46 $63,350
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 60 0.63 1.39 $29.33 $61,010
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 60 0.27 0.59 $26.83 $55,810
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 40 0.32 0.70 $25.08 $52,160
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $24.73 $51,440


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020