Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks salary in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Maryland tax rules.
The figures
The median Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area earns $53,570 a year ($25.75 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn between $45,930 and $62,530 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $40,110 or less and the top 10 percent earn $75,540 or more. BLS estimates 8,540 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area — 6.296 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.71 (well below the national concentration). That is 0.6% of all Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks employment in the United States (1,373,680 jobs nationally). By employment, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD is the #25 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks. In aggregate, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn about $0.48 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $44,736.08 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks is about $0.38 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD stands #13 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks. By employment, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks is the #27 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. Placed against the national distribution for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $53,570 falls between the national median ($50,670) and the national 75th percentile ($61,470). Across all occupations, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median is $59,070 a year — Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay is 9.3% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $26.83 | $55,810 |
| 10th percentile | $19.28 | $40,110 |
| 25th percentile | $22.08 | $45,930 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $25.75 | $53,570 |
| 75th percentile | $30.06 | $62,530 |
| 90th percentile | $36.32 | $75,540 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn 1.9 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($75,540 against $40,110). The middle half spans $16,600 — from $45,930 to $62,530. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($36.32) is 1.88 times the 10th ($19.28). In the upper half of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $62,530 takes home $49,816.52 and the 90th percentile wage of $75,540 takes home $58,747.90 — $8,931.38 more net for $13,010 more gross. Against the median take-home of $43,042.60, the top decile keeps 1.36 times as much. The mean wage of $55,810 sits 4.2% above the median: higher-paid Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pull the average up in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks ranks #11 by median pay. In the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks sits between Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers at $59,460 and Maintenance and Repair Workers, General at $52,100. Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks accounts for 0.6% of all employment in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 21,599 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks; Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD employs 0.4 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Maryland
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Maryland; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $53,570.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $4,248.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,321.34 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $776.76 |
| Maryland income tax | $2,180.95 |
| Total deductions | $10,527.40 |
| Net pay (annual) | $43,042.60 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,655.48 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.65% of gross |
At the median, $43,042.60 of the $53,570 gross is kept ($1,655.48 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.65%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 18.06% at the 10th percentile, 18.86% at the 25th percentile, 20.33% at the 75th percentile, 22.23% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $12,549.72 on a gross rise of $16,600.
The same engine at the other published points of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($40,110) | $32,866.66 | $1,264.10 | 18.06% |
| 25th percentile ($45,930) | $37,266.80 | $1,433.34 | 18.86% |
| Median ($53,570) | $43,042.60 | $1,655.48 | 19.65% |
| 75th percentile ($62,530) | $49,816.52 | $1,916.02 | 20.33% |
| 90th percentile ($75,540) | $58,747.90 | $2,259.53 | 22.23% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $32,866.66 a year at the 10th percentile to $58,747.90 at the 90th — a spread of $25,881.24 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median wage of $59,070 takes home $47,200.74 a year ($1,815.41 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.09%). The Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks median take-home of $43,042.60 sits $4,158.14 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks earns $50,670 a year ($24.36 an hour). The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $53,570 is $2,900 (5.7%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $55,810 a year in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD against $53,560 nationally, a gap of $2,250 (4.2%).
Set against the whole local market, the Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 90th percentile of $75,540 is 54% of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($138,650), and its 10th percentile of $40,110 is 117% of the area-wide 10th ($34,230).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $53,570 | $25.75 | $55,810 |
| United States | $50,670 | $24.36 | $53,560 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
$53,570 a year ($25.75 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $55,810 a year. Ranked by median pay, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD stands #13 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $53,570 in Maryland?
About $43,042.60 a year ($1,655.48 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.65% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $62,530, take-home is $49,816.52.
How does pay in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD compare with the national median for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks?
The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $53,570 is $2,900 (5.7%) above the national median of $50,670 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $75,540, against a national 90th percentile of $74,550.
How much do the top 10% of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks earn in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
$75,540 a year or more ($36.32 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
On $75,540 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $58,747.90 a year ($2,259.53 per biweekly paycheck) in Maryland under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 22.23%.
How many Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs are there in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
BLS estimates 8,540 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area — 6.296 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
The location quotient is 0.71 — well below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
From $32,866.66 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($40,110) to $58,747.90 at the 90th ($75,540), under the same single-filer assumptions in Maryland.
What is the total wage bill for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
About $0.48 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 8,540 multiplied by the mean wage of $55,810.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.