Statistics
Bookkeeping statistics 2026
The United States has 1.53 million bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk jobs, a number projected to fall 6% by 2035 even as 144,100 openings a year remain. The median clerk earns $24.36 an hour, and online bookkeeping services list $99 to $995 a month. Among 36.2 million small businesses, 82% have no employees, 39% of owners keep the books themselves, and the IRS projects $194 billion a year of underreported business income.
Every figure below links to the document it came from and gives the date that document states. Workforce and pay figures are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which counts bookkeepers together with accounting and auditing clerks. Survey figures name their sponsor, sample and field dates; each survey defines a small business differently, so percentages are not compared across them. Vendor prices are list prices as displayed on the date given. Two numbers that circulate widely, that 40% of owners call bookkeeping the worst part of running a business and that 60% feel they are not knowledgeable about accounting, are not here: neither traces to a survey with a method. Our own numbers, from reading every firm website in the directory, are marked as original data.
40 figures · 5 charts · 15 sources · checked October 10, 2026
Key figures
1.53 million
There were 1,532,400 bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk jobs in the United States in 2025, including 86,500 self-employed (5.6% of the occupation).
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025
−6%
Employment of bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks is projected to decline 6%, or 85,600 jobs, between 2025 and 2035.
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 to 2035 projections
36.2 million
There are 36,207,130 small businesses in the United States, of which 29,811,495 (82.3%) have no employees and 6,395,635 (17.7%) do.
SBA Office of Advocacy, February 2026 edition
39%
39% of US small business owners handle their finances on their own and only 15% to 16% use an accountant or advisor, in a Xero survey of 1,021 owners with 50 or fewer employees; the release gives both figures.
Xero, fielded May 30 to June 4, 2024
50%
50% of small employer firms reported uneven cash flow and 54% difficulty paying operating expenses in the prior twelve months, in the Federal Reserve's survey of 6,525 firms; only 6% reported no financial challenge.
Federal Reserve Banks, fielded September 3 to November 14, 2025
$24.36/hr
The median bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk earned $24.36 an hour, or $50,670 a year, in May 2025; the mean was $25.75 an hour.
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025
The workforce
The BLS counts bookkeepers in one occupation with accounting and auditing clerks, and it is one of the few office occupations it expects to shrink.
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, work environment tab (bls.gov), 2025
1.53 million
There were 1,532,400 bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk jobs in the United States in 2025, including 86,500 self-employed (5.6% of the occupation).
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (bls.gov), 2025Link
−6%
Employment of bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks is projected to decline 6%, or 85,600 jobs, between 2025 and 2035.
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (bls.gov), 2025 to 2035 projectionsLink
144,100
About 144,100 openings for bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks are still projected each year over the decade, because the people leaving outnumber the jobs disappearing.
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, job outlook tab (bls.gov), 2025 to 2035 projectionsLink
1,373,680
The BLS employer survey counted 1,373,680 wage-and-salary bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks in May 2025, a count that excludes the self-employed.
BLS Public Data API, OEWS series for occupation 43-3031 (api.bls.gov), May 2025Link
Some college
The typical entry-level education for the occupation is some college with no degree; the largest employer is professional, scientific and technical services at 14% of jobs.
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (bls.gov), 2025Link
What small businesses do about their books
Most American businesses have no employees and most of their owners do the books themselves. Each survey below defines a small business its own way.
Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business (advocacy.sba.gov), February 2026 edition
36.2 million
There are 36,207,130 small businesses in the United States, of which 29,811,495 (82.3%) have no employees and 6,395,635 (17.7%) do.
SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business (advocacy.sba.gov), February 2026 editionLink
86.7%
86.7% of businesses with no employees are sole proprietorships, while 55% of small employer firms are S corporations and only 12.3% are sole proprietorships.
SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business (advocacy.sba.gov), February 2026 editionLink
39%
39% of US small business owners handle their finances on their own and only 15% to 16% use an accountant or advisor, in a Xero survey of 1,021 owners with 50 or fewer employees; the release gives both figures.
Xero, small business financial literacy survey (ResearchScape) (xero.com), fielded May 30 to June 4, 2024Link
50%
Half of those owners had faced a financial problem because of a lack of financial literacy, although 55% rated their own literacy as high; only 38% kept a reserve fund for emergencies.
Xero, small business financial literacy survey (ResearchScape) (xero.com), fielded May 30 to June 4, 2024Link
50%
50% of small employer firms reported uneven cash flow and 54% difficulty paying operating expenses in the prior twelve months, in the Federal Reserve's survey of 6,525 firms; only 6% reported no financial challenge.
Federal Reserve Banks, 2026 Small Business Credit Survey, Report on Employer Firms (fedsmallbusiness.org), fielded September 3 to November 14, 2025Link
56%
Of small employer firms that applied for financing, 56% did so to meet operating expenses, more than the 46% pursuing an expansion.
Federal Reserve Banks, 2026 Small Business Credit Survey (fedsmallbusiness.org), fielded September to November 2025Link
46%
46% of small employer firms said the business or its employees use AI, and 51% of those use it for planning or analysis.
Federal Reserve Banks, 2026 Small Business Credit Survey (fedsmallbusiness.org), fielded September to November 2025Link
59%
59% of small businesses say some of their invoices are more than 30 days overdue, up from 47% a year earlier, and those with unpaid invoices are owed $17,700 on average; Intuit's report does not say which of its two surveys produced the figures.
Intuit QuickBooks, 2026 Small Business Late Payments Report (quickbooks.intuit.com), 2026 reportLink
What bookkeeping costs
Three kinds of price exist: what a bookkeeper is paid, what an online service lists, and what an accounting practice bills per hour. They are not the same number.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, occupation 43-3031, via the BLS Public Data API (api.bls.gov), May 2025
| Service | List price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot Essentials | $99 a month | AI-assisted bookkeeping, up to $100,000 in monthly expenses |
| Bench Bookkeeping Light | $199 a month | Businesses with $250,000 or less in annual revenue |
| Bench Bookkeeping | $399 a month | Monthly bookkeeping; 20% off paid annually |
| Xendoo Essential | $395 a month | Up to $50,000 in monthly expenses; $695 to $75,000; $995 to $125,000 |
| Bench Bookkeeping + Tax | $649 a month | Bookkeeping with tax filing |
| Bench fractional bookkeeper | $55 an hour | Works inside your QuickBooks; $1,200 one-time onboarding |
| QuickBooks Online (software only) | $38 to $340 a month | Simple Start to Advanced, before a 50%-off-for-3-months promotion |
Source: Bench, Xendoo, Pilot and QuickBooks pricing pages (bench.co), October 10, 2026
$24.36/hr
The median bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk earned $24.36 an hour, or $50,670 a year, in May 2025; the mean was $25.75 an hour.
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (bls.gov), May 2025Link
$36,000
The lowest-paid 10% of clerks earned less than $36,000 a year ($17.31 an hour) and the highest-paid 10% more than $74,550 ($35.84 an hour).
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, pay tab, and OEWS (bls.gov), May 2025Link
$54,890
Among the industries that employ the most clerks, construction paid the highest median at $54,890 and retail trade the lowest at $45,830.
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, pay tab (bls.gov), May 2025Link
$399/mo
Bench lists monthly bookkeeping at $399, a light plan for businesses under $250,000 in revenue at $199, bookkeeping with tax at $649, and a fractional QuickBooks bookkeeper at $55 an hour plus $1,200 onboarding.
Bench, pricing page (bench.co), as displayed October 10, 2026Link
$395/mo
Xendoo lists bookkeeping at $395 a month for up to $50,000 in monthly expenses, $695 up to $75,000 and $995 up to $125,000, 10% less billed annually, with catch-up bookkeeping from $295 a month.
Xendoo, pricing page (xendoo.com), as displayed October 10, 2026Link
$99/mo
Pilot lists an AI-assisted Essentials plan at $99 a month for businesses with up to $100,000 in monthly expenses.
Pilot, pricing page (pilot.com), as displayed October 10, 2026Link
$105.51/hr
Accounting and tax practices charged an average of $105.51 an hour for write-up (bookkeeping) work and $108.61 for QuickBooks or bookkeeping advisory in 2020, the latest edition of the National Society of Accountants' fee survey (1,009 responses).
National Society of Accountants, 2020-2021 Income and Fees survey (higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com), 2020 dataLink
Six years old, and the newest full survey published.
$192
Preparing a Schedule C for a sole proprietor added an average of $192 to a client's tax preparation fee in 2020, and full payroll services billed $99.66 an hour.
National Society of Accountants, 2020-2021 Income and Fees survey (higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com), 2020 dataLink
$350/mo
Where accounting and bookkeeping firm websites publish a monthly price, the median is $350 and the middle half runs from $167 to $800, across 440 published figures; only 6.4% of 3,917 firm sites publish any price.
CPA Advisor original dataCPA Advisor, What 3,917 accounting firm websites say (cpaadvisor.us), October 2026Link
Software
Source: Intuit, Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (sec.gov), fiscal years ended July 31
$5.05B
QuickBooks Online Accounting revenue was $5,051 million in Intuit's fiscal 2026, up 23%, which Intuit attributes to higher effective prices, customer growth and mix shift.
Intuit, Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (sec.gov), fiscal year ended July 31, 2026Link
+3%
Intuit's online paying customers grew 3% in fiscal 2026 while average revenue per customer rose 15%; Intuit no longer discloses an absolute QuickBooks Online subscriber count.
Intuit, Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (sec.gov), as of July 31, 2026Link
$1.8B
QuickBooks Desktop Accounting still brought in $1,801 million in fiscal 2026, up 8%; the whole QuickBooks business was $12,864 million, 60% of Intuit's revenue.
Intuit, Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (sec.gov), fiscal year ended July 31, 2026Link
424,000
Xero had 424,000 paying customers in the United States at March 31, 2026, up 35%, out of 4.92 million worldwide; the US count now includes Melio payments customers and excludes Canada, so it is not comparable with earlier North America figures.
Xero, FY26 annual report (brandfolder.xero.com), March 31, 2026Link
43%
43% of 3,917 US accounting and bookkeeping firm websites name QuickBooks and 4.1% name Xero; no other product comes close.
CPA Advisor original dataCPA Advisor, What 3,917 accounting firm websites say (cpaadvisor.us), October 2026Link
What bad books cost: fraud, penalties and the tax gap
Source: ACFE, Occupational Fraud 2026: A Report to the Nations, figure 24 (acfe.com), cases investigated January 2024 to September 2025
$126,000
Organizations with fewer than 100 employees suffered the highest median fraud loss of any size band, $126,000 across 459 cases, against a $104,000 median for all 2,402 cases studied.
ACFE, Occupational Fraud 2026: A Report to the Nations (acfe.com), cases investigated January 2024 to September 2025Link
28%
Billing schemes appeared in 28% of frauds at organizations under 100 employees against 18% at larger ones, and check and payment tampering in 18% against 8%: the schemes that clean books catch.
ACFE, Occupational Fraud 2026: A Report to the Nations (acfe.com), cases investigated January 2024 to September 2025Link
43%
43% of frauds were detected by a tip, 55% of those from employees, yet only about a quarter of businesses under 100 employees have a hotline, against 85% of larger organizations.
ACFE, Occupational Fraud 2026: A Report to the Nations (acfe.com), cases investigated January 2024 to September 2025Link
12 months
A typical fraud ran 12 months before detection; frauds caught within six months had a $40,000 median loss, and frauds by owners or executives cost a median $475,000 against $50,000 for employees.
ACFE, Occupational Fraud 2026: A Report to the Nations (acfe.com), cases investigated January 2024 to September 2025Link
$194B
Underreported business income on individual returns is projected at $194 billion for tax year 2022, 28% of the $696 billion gross tax gap and its largest single component; nonfarm sole proprietor income alone accounts for $117 billion.
IRS Publication 5869, Tax Gap Projections for Tax Year 2022 (irs.gov), tax year 2022 projection, revised October 2024Link
55%
55% of nonfarm sole proprietor income was misreported in the IRS's research for tax years 2014 to 2016, against 1% of wages, which are reported by employers and subject to withholding.
IRS Publication 5869, Tax Gap Projections for Tax Year 2022 (irs.gov), tax years 2014 to 2016Link
1.2 million
The IRS assessed 1,216,346 federal tax deposit penalties and 2,259,214 failure-to-pay penalties on employment taxes in fiscal 2025, most of them for payroll deposits made late.
IRS Data Book 2025, Table 4-2 (irs.gov), fiscal year 2025Link
$81B
Federal paperwork cost small businesses more than $81 billion in 2025, and more than 80% of that burden comes from the IRS alone: $66 billion and 1.57 billion hours a year.
SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business (advocacy.sba.gov), 2025Link
The filings the books feed
31.1 million
31,125,909 nonfarm sole proprietorship returns (Schedule C) were filed for tax year 2023, reporting $2.06 trillion in business receipts.
IRS Statistics of Income, Nonfarm Sole Proprietorships, Table 1 (irs.gov), tax year 2023Link
6.15 million
The IRS received 6,154,614 S corporation returns, 5,215,815 partnership returns and 2,350,205 C corporation returns in fiscal 2025.
IRS Data Book 2025, Table 1-2 (irs.gov), fiscal year 2025Link
34.1 million
Employers filed 34,143,809 employment tax returns in fiscal 2025, and individuals sent in 13,315,355 estimated tax payment forms, up 10.3%.
IRS Data Book 2025, Table 1-2 (irs.gov), fiscal year 2025Link
333,080
333,080 sole proprietors reported income from non-CPA accounting services, the IRS category that includes bookkeeping and tax preparation, for tax year 2023, with $11.7 billion in receipts; only 28,476 reported running a CPA office.
IRS Statistics of Income, Nonfarm Sole Proprietorships, Table 1 (irs.gov), tax year 2023Link
8.5%
Firms with no match in the IRS preparer directory, which in our data are mostly bookkeepers, publish a price on their website 8.5% of the time, against 3.4% of CPA-led firms; they mention a client portal 17.7% of the time against 33.1%.
CPA Advisor original dataCPA Advisor, What 3,917 accounting firm websites say (cpaadvisor.us), October 2026Link
Common questions
How many bookkeepers are there in the US?
The BLS counts bookkeepers together with accounting and auditing clerks: 1,532,400 jobs in 2025 including 86,500 self-employed, or 1,373,680 wage-and-salary jobs in its employer survey. It does not publish a bookkeeper-only figure. The occupation is projected to shrink 6% by 2035, with about 144,100 openings a year as people leave.
How much does a bookkeeper cost?
An employed bookkeeping clerk earns a median $24.36 an hour ($50,670 a year), with the top 10% above $35.84. Online services list $99 to $995 a month depending on volume, and accounting practices billed an average of $105.51 an hour for bookkeeping work in the last published fee survey (2020). Where firm websites publish a monthly package, the median is $350.
What share of small business owners do their own bookkeeping?
In Xero's 2024 survey of 1,021 owners with 50 or fewer employees, 39% handle their finances on their own and only 15% to 16% use an accountant or advisor. The widely quoted claim that 40% of owners call bookkeeping the worst part of running a business comes from an undated infographic with no stated survey, and is not used here.
Is bookkeeping a declining profession?
As a job title, yes: the BLS projects a 6% fall in clerk employment from 2025 to 2035 as software handles routine entries. The work is not disappearing. QuickBooks Online revenue grew 23% to $5.05 billion in 2026 on only 3% more customers, and 144,100 clerk openings a year are still projected.
How much do small businesses lose to fraud?
In the ACFE's 2026 study of 2,402 cases, organizations with fewer than 100 employees had the highest median loss, $126,000. Billing schemes and check tampering, the frauds that reconciled books catch, were far more common at small organizations (28% and 18% of cases) than at large ones (18% and 8%). A typical fraud ran 12 months before detection.
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