541213/Tax Preparation Services
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
134K
employees, 2023
134K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 28,762 US Tax Preparation Services business locations employed 133,868 people and paid $3.3 billion in annual payroll, $24,908 per employee on average. Employment was up 1.7% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
28,762
+1.3% vs 2022
Employees
133,868
+1.7% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$3.3B
+3.1% vs 2022
Average pay
$24,908
+1.4% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Tax Preparation Services in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 3,958 | 17,772 | $35,234 | 0.11% |
| Texas | 2,566 | 11,934 | $21,870 | 0.10% |
| New York | 1,863 | 8,298 | $30,372 | 0.09% |
| Florida | 2,518 | 8,126 | $23,682 | 0.08% |
| Missouri | 642 | 5,509 | $34,610 | 0.21% |
| Illinois | 990 | 4,722 | $29,685 | 0.08% |
| Ohio | 930 | 4,587 | $18,995 | 0.09% |
| Pennsylvania | 910 | 4,436 | $21,118 | 0.08% |
| Michigan | 802 | 3,918 | $19,111 | 0.10% |
| North Carolina | 785 | 3,799 | $21,251 | 0.09% |
| Georgia | 1,042 | 3,641 | $19,324 | 0.08% |
| Arizona | 695 | 3,419 | $20,099 | 0.12% |
| Virginia | 625 | 3,376 | $26,349 | 0.09% |
| Washington | 647 | 3,222 | $28,581 | 0.11% |
| Massachusetts | 609 | 3,093 | $29,519 | 0.09% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Tax Preparation Services employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 1,855 | 7,735 | $33,430 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1,540 | 7,002 | $41,791 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 385 | 4,449* | $39,678 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 822 | 3,855 | $32,727 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 669 | 3,082 | $23,150 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 697 | 2,898 | $26,478 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 1,022 | 2,373 | $29,541 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 460 | 2,345 | $20,374 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 419 | 2,189 | $60,299 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 426 | 2,099 | $34,648 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 678 | 2,091 | $22,214 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 458 | 2,080 | $25,892 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 361 | 1,913 | $33,537 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 395 | 1,873 | $19,808 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 315 | 1,653 | $26,797 |
Business size
US Tax Preparation Services business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 19,876 | 69.1% |
| 5 to 9 | 6,010 | 20.9% |
| 10 to 19 | 2,092 | 7.3% |
| 20 to 49 | 651 | 2.3% |
| 50 to 99 | 112 | 0.4% |
| 100 to 249 | 14 | 0.0% |
| 250 to 499 | 6 | 0.0% |
| 500 to 999 | Not published | - |
| 1,000 or more | Not published | - |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 54Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 541Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services 5412Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services 54121
Questions and answers
How many people work in Tax Preparation Services in the US?
133,868 people worked at 28,762 US Tax Preparation Services business locations in 2023, up 1.7% from 2022. That is 0.10% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Tax Preparation Services?
$24,908 a year per employee in 2023, from $3.3 billion in annual payroll (up 1.4% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Tax Preparation Services jobs?
California had the most, with 17,772 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (11,934) and New York (8,298).
Which metro areas have the most Tax Preparation Services jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (7,735), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (7,002), Kansas City, MO-KS (4,449) had the most Tax Preparation Services employees in 2023.
Are most Tax Preparation Services businesses small?
97.3% of the 28,761 Tax Preparation Services business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 0 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.