Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Salary in Madison, WI

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in the Madison, WI metro area earn a median $53,240 a year — 5% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $43,397 take-home, or $3,616 a month.

Median salary
$53,240
$25.60 per hour
Typical range
$40,550 – $67,700
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Madison, WI
3,760
1.04× national concentration
▲3.3%
Pay trend: The median for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in Madison, WI rose from $51,530 (May 2024) to $53,240 (May 2025). That beat inflation (2.4%), a real raise of about 0.9%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary in Madison, WI. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Madison, WI
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$43,397
per year · effective tax rate 18.5%
$3,616Monthly
$1,808Twice a month
$1,669Every 2 weeks
$20.86Hourly
  • Federal income tax$4,209
  • Social Security (6.2%)$3,301
  • Medicare (1.45%)$772
  • Wisconsin income tax$1,562
  • Take-home pay$43,397

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.40% state

Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay by experience in Madison, WI

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$40,550$19.50$33,759$2,813
25th percentile$47,820$22.99$39,280$3,273
Median (50th)$53,240$25.60$43,397$3,616
75th percentile$61,330$29.49$49,541$4,128
90th percentile (top earners)$67,700$32.55$54,249$4,521

Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Wisconsin resident, 2026 tax rules.

What $53,240 buys in Madison, WI

Prices in Madison, WI are 2.7% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 0% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks's $43,397 take-home pay has the buying power of $44,607 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,377
38% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,600
44% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$2,239
per month for everything else

Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs are about as common in Madison, WI as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 1.04).

Best-paying cities for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, adjusted for cost of living

Madison, WI ranks #14 of 95 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1New Haven, CT $62,890$50,807$48,592
2San Jose, CA $66,130$52,378$47,434
3Hartford, CT $59,470$48,213$46,924
4Austin, TX $54,320$45,826$46,730
5Bridgeport, CT $61,390$49,669$46,479
6Seattle, WA $60,460$50,760$45,675
7Des Moines, IA $50,610$41,574$45,336
8Kansas City, MO $50,940$41,653$45,010
14Madison, WI$53,240$43,397$44,607

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 95 metros →

About the job: bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

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.

Typical education
Some college, no degree
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
-5.6% (declining)

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks salaries elsewhere in Wisconsin

Frequently asked questions

How much does a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks make in Madison, WI?

The median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary in the Madison, WI metro area is $53,240 a year, or about $25.60 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $47,820 and $61,330.

What is a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks’s take-home pay in Madison, WI?

On the median $53,240 salary, a single filer living in Wisconsin takes home about $43,397 a year ($3,616 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,562 in Wisconsin taxes in 2026.

Is Madison, WI a good place to work as a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?

Pay here is 5% above the national median of $50,670. Local prices are 2.7% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $44,607 would in a typical U.S. city. Madison, WI ranks #14 of 95 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks afford rent in Madison, WI?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Madison, WI is $1,377 a month ($1,600 for two bedrooms) — 38% of a median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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