Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Salary in San Diego, CA
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn a median $58,580 a year — 16% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $46,923 take-home, or $3,910 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary in San Diego, CA. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$4,850
- Social Security (6.2%)$3,632
- Medicare (1.45%)$849
- California income tax$1,564
- CA State Disability Insurance (SDI)$762
- Take-home pay$46,923
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 6.00% state
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay by experience in San Diego, CA
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $40,220 | $19.34 | $33,376 | $2,781 |
| 25th percentile | $48,940 | $23.53 | $39,881 | $3,323 |
| Median (50th) | $58,580 | $28.16 | $46,923 | $3,910 |
| 75th percentile | $70,150 | $33.73 | $54,869 | $4,572 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $82,350 | $39.59 | $62,264 | $5,189 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, California resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $58,580 buys in San Diego, CA
Prices in San Diego, CA are 11.9% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.79× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks's $46,923 take-home pay has the buying power of $41,938 in a typical American city.
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 San Diego, CA as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.94).
Best-paying cities for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, adjusted for cost of living
San Diego, CA ranks #61 of 95 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Haven, CT | $62,890 | $50,807 | $48,592 |
| 2 | San Jose, CA | $66,130 | $52,378 | $47,434 |
| 3 | Hartford, CT | $59,470 | $48,213 | $46,924 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | $54,320 | $45,826 | $46,730 |
| 5 | Bridgeport, CT | $61,390 | $49,669 | $46,479 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $60,460 | $50,760 | $45,675 |
| 7 | Des Moines, IA | $50,610 | $41,574 | $45,336 |
| 8 | Kansas City, MO | $50,940 | $41,653 | $45,010 |
| 61 | San Diego, CA | $58,580 | $46,923 | $41,938 |
*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 California
- San Jose, CA — $66,130
- San Francisco, CA — $65,530
- Sacramento, CA — $56,840
- Fresno, CA — $54,170
- Bakersfield, CA — $53,170
- Riverside, CA — $55,610
- Oxnard, CA — $57,670
- Los Angeles, CA — $58,590
Frequently asked questions
How much does a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks make in San Diego, CA?
The median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area is $58,580 a year, or about $28.16 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $48,940 and $70,150.
What is a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks’s take-home pay in San Diego, CA?
On the median $58,580 salary, a single filer living in California takes home about $46,923 a year ($3,910 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $2,326 in California taxes in 2026.
Is San Diego, CA a good place to work as a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?
Pay here is 16% above the national median of $50,670. Local prices are 11.9% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $41,938 would in a typical U.S. city. San Diego, CA ranks #61 of 95 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks afford rent in San Diego, CA?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in San Diego, CA is $2,459 a month ($3,001 for two bedrooms) — 63% of a median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in San Diego, CA
- Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant — $84,540
- First-Line Supervisor of Office and Administrative Support Workers — $76,120
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks — $65,640
- Postal Service Mail Carrier — $63,380
- Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant — $61,780
- Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other — $56,780
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive — $55,380
- Billing and Posting Clerk — $55,260
- Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant — $51,650
- Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk — $51,310
- Office Clerks, General — $49,920
- Customer Service Representative — $48,730