What Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks earn in Ray County, MO
The median pay for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Ray County, MO is $50,940 per year, which works out to $24.49 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area, the labor market that Ray County, MO belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $52,410, which is 2.9% above the median, so pay is spread fairly evenly. The survey counts about 8,780 people working in this occupation across the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Ray County, MO has roughly 23,145 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $36,690 a year ($17.64 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $68,520 or more ($32.94 an hour). That is a gap of $31,830 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $45,570 at the 25th percentile and $60,110 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.9 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $24.49 an hour or $50,940 a year at the median for Ray County, MO. Before any deductions, that is $4,245 a month, $1,959 every two weeks and $980 each week. After taxes the same job pays $19.97 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks this way: "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."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes"; "Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information"; "Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations"; "Debit, credit, and total accounts on computer spreadsheets and databases, using specialized accounting software".
Job outlook for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to shrink from 1,532,400 jobs in 2025 to 1,446,800 in 2035, a change of -5.6%, slower than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 144,100 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 9.4% of current employment each year. About 5.6% of the people in this occupation are self-employed, and wage figures cover wage and salary workers only.
Typical entry-level education: some college, no degree. Typical on-the-job training to reach competency: moderate-term on-the-job training. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $50,670 for this occupation; the Ray County, MO median of $50,940 is 0.5% above it.
How pay in Ray County, MO compares
Compared with the Missouri average
A worker in this occupation in Ray County, MO earns $2,264 more than the Missouri average of $48,676, a premium of 4.7%. Over a year that premium is worth $2,264 before tax and roughly $1,847 after tax. Within Missouri, Ray County, MO already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks is $51,691 across the contiguous United States. At $50,940, Ray County, MO pays $751 less, which is 1.4% below that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Ray County, MO
Among the 550 occupations with published wages in Ray County, MO, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks ranks number 329 by median pay, ahead of about 40% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Software Developers at $124,990 a year, which is $74,050 more than the median for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks earning the Ray County, MO median of $50,940, they add up to $9,394. The result is $41,546 of take-home pay a year ($3,462 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $18 goes to taxes and $82 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 18.4%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $35,190. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $3,984, an effective 7.8% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $3,158 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $739. FICA totals $3,897, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in Missouri
Missouri income tax on this salary is $1,513 a year, or 3.0% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 38% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $126 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Ray County, MO
IRS Statistics of Income data for Ray County, MO show an average adjusted gross income of $71,219 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 10.1% across all filers. Filers in the $50,000 to under $75,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 6.7%, compared with the 7.8% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Ray County, MO
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Ray County, MO: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $41,546 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Ray County, MO, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,366 a month ($16,392 a year), and at $1,546 for two bedrooms. For Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, a one-bedroom absorbs 39.5% of take-home pay and 32.2% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 6.7% of gross pay for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Ray County, MO. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Missouri residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,364 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $672, for $2,036 in total. Gasoline in Missouri averages $3.03 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,403.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $23,267 a year in Ray County, MO. Subtract that from $41,546 of take-home pay and $18,279 remains, which is $1,523 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 35.9% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for Ray County, MO
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Ray County, MO: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Ray County, MO, set beside the Missouri and national medians.
Property taxes in Ray County, MO
Homeowners in Ray County, MO pay a median of $1,594 a year in real estate taxes, 18% below the Missouri median of $1,948 and 49% below the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $198,800, the median tax bill is 0.80% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks median of $50,940, a tax bill of that size would equal 3.1% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Ray County, MO
Renters in Ray County, MO pay a median gross rent of $782 a month in the Census survey, 24% below the Missouri median of $1,033. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $1,366 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $198,800, 14% below the Missouri median of $230,300. Median household income is $74,573, 5% above the Missouri median of $70,702, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 22.0% of that income.
Commuting in Ray County, MO
Workers in Ray County, MO who travel to a workplace spend an average of 34.3 minutes each way, 46% above the Missouri average of 23.5. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 5.7 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 10.6% of workers in Ray County, MO work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks afford to live in Ray County, MO?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $50,940 that ceiling is $1,274 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,366 is $93 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $26.27 an hour; the median for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks is $24.49, which is 7% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $19.97 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 15.8 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,546 a month means $773 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $7,116 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $25,395.
How fast you can save
At $1,523 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 7 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 14 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay in Ray County, MO
How much do Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks make per hour in Ray County, MO?
The median is $24.49 per hour, based on $50,940 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $17.64 at the 10th percentile to $32.94 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks take home after taxes in Ray County, MO?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $50,940 becomes $41,546 a year. That is $3,462 a month, $1,598 every two weeks or $799 a week.
How much tax do Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay in Ray County, MO?
Total taxes are $9,394 a year, an effective rate of 18.4%: $3,984 federal income tax, $3,897 FICA and $1,513 Missouri income tax.
Do Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks earn more in Ray County, MO than elsewhere in Missouri?
Yes. The local median of $50,940 is +4.7% versus the Missouri average of $48,676, a difference of $2,264 a year.
Can Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks afford a one-bedroom apartment in Ray County, MO?
A one-bedroom costs $1,366 a month against take-home pay of $3,462, which is 39.5% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $1,274 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Ray County, MO?
About $1,523 a month ($18,279 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $23,267 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Ray County, MO at the 30% guideline?
$26.27 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $16,392 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks is $24.49.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the Missouri rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.