Tax preparers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

87.2k

Average Age

47.8

Estimated Job Growth

−0.566%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$56,412

Average Male Salary

$76,427

Average Female Salary

$43,925

About

Tax preparers are most often employed by the Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping & payroll services industry. The average yearly wage for Tax preparers was $56,412 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Tax preparers by wage are Industrial & refractory machinery mechanics, Secondary school teachers, and Fashion designers.

Tax preparers are part of the Business & financial operations occupations, along with Agents & business managers of artists, performers, & athletes, Buyers & purchasing agents, farm products, Wholesale & retail buyers, except farm products, Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, & farm products, Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, & investigators, and 24 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Tax preparers are Albany County (Outside Albany City) PUMA, NY, Hilton Head Island, Bluffton Towns & Beaufort City PUMA, SC, and Dallas (Far North) & Richardson (Southwest) Cities PUMA, TX. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Tax preparers are Oneida, Lincoln, Vilas, Langlade & Forest Counties PUMA, WI, Dallas (Far North) & Richardson (Southwest) Cities PUMA, TX, and Phoenix City (East) PUMA, AZ.

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Tax preparers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping & payroll services is the industry that employs the most Tax preparers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Tax preparers, by average wage, is Petroleum refining. Tax preparers are paid most in South of Market & Potrero PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Oneida, Lincoln, Vilas, Langlade & Forest Counties PUMA, WI.

Yearly Wage

$56,412

AVERAGE SALARY

± $7,082

In 2020, Tax preparers earned an average of $56,412, $458 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Secondary school teachers make somewhat more than Tax preparers while Industrial & refractory machinery mechanics make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Tax preparers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.565

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Tax preparers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.565, which is higher than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly for Tax preparers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Tax preparers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Tax preparers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Tax preparers.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Tax preparers, by number of employees, are Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping & payroll services, Public finance activities, Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments, Banking & related activities, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, Nondepository credit & related activities, Computer Systems Design, Management of companies & enterprises, Support activities for mining, Legal services, and Employment services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Tax preparers, by average wage, are Petroleum refining, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, and Support activities for mining.

Industries by Share

87.2k

2020 Workforce

± 7,247

0.316%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 11.7%

The number of people employed as Tax preparers has been growing at a rate of 0.316%, from 86,904 people in 2019 to 87,179 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Tax preparers employed by various industries. Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping & payroll services employs the largest share of Tax preparers at 82.8%, followed by Public finance activities with 4.49% and Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments with 1.31%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Tax preparers in the US. The average age of male Tax preparers in the workforce is 47.8 and of female Tax preparers is 47.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Tax preparers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

33.5k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 4,493

53.7k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,688

61.6% of Tax preparers are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Tax preparers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Tax preparers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

63.8% of Tax preparers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 10.6% of Tax preparers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Tax preparers.

Age by Sex

47.8

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.36

47.9

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.56

The median age of Tax preparers is 47.8, and Male employees are generally 0.0503 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Tax preparers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Tax preparers is Business but a relatively high number of Tax preparers hold a major in Business.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Tax preparers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax preparers need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Tax preparers need more than the average amount of Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, and Active Listening.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Tax Preparers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Tax Preparers are expected to see a growth of −0.566% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−0.566%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Tax Preparers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.