Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earns $58,580 a year ($28.16 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn between $48,940 and $70,150 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $40,220 or less and the top 10 percent earn $82,350 or more. BLS estimates 12,830 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area — 8.343 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.94 (below the national concentration). That is 0.9% of all Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks employment in the United States (1,373,680 jobs nationally). By employment, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is the #17 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks. In aggregate, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn about $0.77 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $48,197.86 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks is about $0.62 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #7 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks. By employment, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks is the #19 largest of the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $58,580 falls between the national median ($50,670) and the national 75th percentile ($61,470). Across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is $58,690 a year — Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay is 0.2% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $28.95 | $60,220 |
| 10th percentile | $19.34 | $40,220 |
| 25th percentile | $23.53 | $48,940 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $28.16 | $58,580 |
| 75th percentile | $33.72 | $70,150 |
| 90th percentile | $39.59 | $82,350 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn 2.0 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($82,350 against $40,220). The middle half spans $21,210 — from $48,940 to $70,150. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($39.59) is 2.05 times the 10th ($19.34). In the upper half of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $70,150 takes home $54,991.74 and the 90th percentile wage of $82,350 takes home $62,423.08 — $7,431.34 more net for $12,200 more gross. Against the median take-home of $46,999.60, the top decile keeps 1.33 times as much. The mean wage of $60,220 sits 2.8% above the median: higher-paid Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pull the average up in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks ranks #11 by median pay. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks sits between Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers at $59,780 and Construction Laborers at $57,180. Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks accounts for 0.8% of all employment in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 21,599 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks; San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA employs 0.6 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $58,580.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $4,849.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,631.96 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $849.41 |
| California income tax | $1,487.88 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $761.54 |
| Total deductions | $11,580.40 |
| Net pay (annual) | $46,999.60 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,807.68 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.77% of gross |
At the median, $46,999.60 of the $58,580 gross is kept ($1,807.68 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.77%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.91% at the 10th percentile, 18.35% at the 25th percentile, 21.61% at the 75th percentile, 24.20% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $15,033.96 on a gross rise of $21,210.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($40,220) | $33,416.84 | $1,285.26 | 16.91% |
| 25th percentile ($48,940) | $39,957.78 | $1,536.84 | 18.35% |
| Median ($58,580) | $46,999.60 | $1,807.68 | 19.77% |
| 75th percentile ($70,150) | $54,991.74 | $2,115.07 | 21.61% |
| 90th percentile ($82,350) | $62,423.08 | $2,400.89 | 24.20% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $33,416.84 a year at the 10th percentile to $62,423.08 at the 90th — a spread of $29,006.24 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median wage of $58,690 takes home $47,079.96 a year ($1,810.77 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.78%). The Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks median take-home of $46,999.60 sits $80.36 (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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $58,580 is $7,910 (15.6%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $60,220 a year in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA against $53,560 nationally, a gap of $6,660 (12.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 90th percentile of $82,350 is 54% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($152,580), and its 10th percentile of $40,220 is 111% of the area-wide 10th ($36,250).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $58,580 | $28.16 | $60,220 |
| United States | $50,670 | $24.36 | $53,560 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$58,580 a year ($28.16 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $60,220 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #7 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $58,580 in California?
About $46,999.60 a year ($1,807.68 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.77% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $70,150, take-home is $54,991.74.
How does pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with the national median for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $58,580 is $7,910 (15.6%) above the national median of $50,670 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $82,350, against a national 90th percentile of $74,550.
How much do the top 10% of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks earn in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$82,350 a year or more ($39.59 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
On $82,350 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $62,423.08 a year ($2,400.89 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 24.20%.
How many Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs are there in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
BLS estimates 12,830 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — 8.343 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The location quotient is 0.94 — 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
From $33,416.84 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($40,220) to $62,423.08 at the 90th ($82,350), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
About $0.77 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 12,830 multiplied by the mean wage of $60,220.
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.