Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
SOC Code: 43-3031
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks carries a 95% AI exposure score (Very High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $49,210 and -5.8% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 1,613,400 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 95% AI exposure, Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks sits 58 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - among the most AI-exposed occupations tracked. It is one of just 21 occupations above the 70% high-exposure line.
Career outlook score
17/100
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $49,210
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -5.8%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 95% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in the Very High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry on a declining BLS line
Typical entry is HS / some college (333/832) while growth is Declining (111/832). This is the crowded high-risk corner of the map - automation and headcount pressure compound without a degree moat.
Where Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
95% Higher than most higher than 99%+ of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks's Very High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score above 70% signals that the majority of core duties are already technically automatable, workers in these roles face the steepest near-term displacement pressure.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 43-3031) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.
- 2. Prepare and process payroll information.
- 3. Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes.
- 4. Prepare bank deposits by compiling data from cashiers, verifying and balancing receipts, and sending cash, checks, or other forms of payment to banks.
- 5. Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.
- 6. Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents.
- 7. Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers.
- 8. Calculate and prepare checks for utilities, taxes, and other payments.
- 9. Monitor status of loans and accounts to ensure that payments are up to date.
- 10. Reconcile records of bank transactions.
Key Skills Required
- Mathematics
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Time Management
- Coordination
- Service Orientation
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administrative
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Economics and Accounting
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Law and Government
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks has an AI exposure score of 95%, indicating a very high level of automation risk. Many tasks in this role involve routine data processing and pattern recognition that current AI systems can perform.
What is the job outlook for Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks is projected to decline by 5.8% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 1,613,400 workers.
What skills are needed for Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?
Key skills for Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks include Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is Some college, no degree.
How much do Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks earn?
The median annual wage for Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks is $49,210, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?
The typical entry-level education for Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks is Some college, no degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Very High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A majority of tasks in this occupation are susceptible to AI automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (95% here).
- Billing and posting clerks · AI exposure 88%
- Accountants and auditors · AI exposure 87%
- Office clerks, general · AI exposure 84%
- Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants · AI exposure 83%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-5.8% here).
- Legal secretaries and administrative assistants · growth -5.8%
- Floral designers · growth -5.9%
- Computer programmers · growth -6.0%
- Cooks, short order · growth -5.6%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 24 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).