The highest-paying states for tax preparers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of tax preparers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $79,450, Alaska is the highest paying state for tax preparers. It is followed by Colorado (average annual salary $74,570). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of tax preparers in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $79,450 |
$60,540 | 210 |
| 2 | Colorado | $74,570 |
$39,490 | 1,850 |
| 3 | Utah | $66,320 |
$32,840 | 1,400 |
| 4 | New York | $63,720 |
$36,260 | 7,590 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $61,190 |
$30,280 | 1,430 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $59,610 |
$30,840 | 1,680 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $58,260 |
$32,910 | 1,750 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $57,050 |
$31,130 | 60 |
| 9 | Texas | $56,950 |
$28,060 | 9,980 |
| 10 | Vermont | $56,880 |
$36,960 | 170 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $56,780 |
$32,460 | 160 |
| 12 | Nevada | $51,360 |
$23,490 | 1,130 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $50,520 |
$27,040 | 200 |
| 14 | California | $50,200 |
$32,460 | 12,610 |
| 15 | Idaho | $49,720 |
$30,750 | 440 |
| 16 | Arizona | $49,070 |
$29,520 | 2,030 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $49,050 |
$30,550 | 960 |
| 18 | Montana | $48,900 |
$29,390 | 320 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $48,480 |
$27,080 | 2,590 |
| 20 | Washington | $48,480 |
$36,940 | 1,840 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $47,590 |
$26,280 | 2,110 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $47,140 |
$28,490 | 330 |
| 23 | Oregon | $46,090 |
$36,650 | 1,230 |
| 24 | Indiana | $45,830 |
$25,970 | 1,880 |
| 25 | Michigan | $45,350 |
$32,460 | 1,970 |
| 26 | Maryland | $45,190 |
$29,680 | 1,580 |
| 27 | Illinois | $45,120 |
$30,510 | 1,770 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $44,870 |
$30,670 | 370 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $44,010 |
$31,830 | 270 |
| 30 | Maine | $43,850 |
$37,200 | 340 |
| 31 | Iowa | $43,850 |
$27,360 | 580 |
| 32 | Ohio | $43,640 |
$24,580 | 1,680 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $43,280 |
$17,850 | 720 |
| 34 | Virginia | $41,000 |
$22,880 | 2,290 |
| 35 | Connecticut | $40,820 |
$33,280 | 610 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $40,300 |
$27,820 | 540 |
| 37 | Delaware | $37,890 |
$26,600 | 240 |
| 38 | Puerto Rico | $37,800 |
$22,530 | 310 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $37,260 |
$23,030 | 850 |
| 40 | Kansas | $37,220 |
$22,110 | 810 |
| 41 | Missouri | $36,510 |
$23,950 | 870 |
| 42 | Florida | $35,620 |
$23,500 | 5,030 |
| 43 | Georgia | $35,610 |
$21,460 | 1,780 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $35,220 |
$22,250 | 890 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $34,350 |
$18,820 | 1,480 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $34,290 |
$23,490 | 730 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $33,990 |
$23,980 | 440 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $33,450 |
$19,870 | 1,180 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $30,160 |
$23,920 | 820 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $29,570 |
$26,000 | 190 |
| 51 | Alabama | $27,960 |
$17,920 | 540 |
| 52 | West Virginia | $26,980 |
$23,080 | 280 |
| 53 | Guam | $22,710 |
$19,240 | 50 |