What back-office help costs in 2026
The median wage for 15 back-office roles in every state and 393 metro areas, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey, published this year, and what each one costs an employer once benefits are added.
A full-time bookkeeper at the U.S. median earns $50,670 and costs a small business about $68,400 a year. An office manager costs about $93,800. An executive assistant costs about $103,400.
Liaison does the routine half of these jobs for 11% of what a bookkeeper costs. See how.
What one would cost you
Pick a role and a place. The cost is the median hourly wage for that role there, for the hours you set, plus benefits at the rate you choose.
Bookkeeper, the United States, 40 hours a week
$68,407 a year
$5,701 a month. Wages $50,669 at the median of $24.36 an hour, plus $17,738 in benefits. The middle half of bookkeepers here earn $43,520 to $61,470 in wages.
Every role, across the United States
Median wages, May 2025. The cost column adds benefits at the rate for employers with 1 to 49 workers (35% on top of wages).
| Role | Employed in the U.S. | Median hourly | Median annual | Middle half earns | Cost to a small employer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeper | 1,373,680 | $24.36 | $50,670 | $43,520 to $61,470 | $68,408 |
| Administrative assistant | 1,706,790 | $22.86 | $47,540 | $38,830 to $58,000 | $64,182 |
| Executive assistant | 459,910 | $36.82 | $76,590 | $61,390 to $94,390 | $103,402 |
| Office manager | 1,436,680 | $33.41 | $69,500 | $55,950 to $85,090 | $93,830 |
| Office clerk | 2,464,940 | $21.64 | $45,010 | $36,350 to $54,300 | $60,767 |
| Customer service representative | 2,595,750 | $21.53 | $44,770 | $36,870 to $51,780 | $60,443 |
| Receptionist | 910,180 | $18.27 | $38,010 | $33,960 to $45,130 | $51,316 |
| Billing clerk | 404,060 | $23.32 | $48,500 | $42,840 to $58,290 | $65,478 |
| Payroll clerk | 153,140 | $28.01 | $58,260 | $47,990 to $69,600 | $78,655 |
| Dispatcher | 202,810 | $24.20 | $50,340 | $42,750 to $62,450 | $67,963 |
| Paralegal | 392,880 | $30.24 | $62,890 | $50,340 to $80,080 | $84,906 |
| Accountant | 1,449,500 | $40.23 | $83,680 | $67,020 to $109,810 | $112,974 |
| Financial manager | 841,710 | $80.08 | $166,570 | $125,490 to $219,980 | $224,881 |
| Operations manager | 3,503,020 | $50.85 | $105,770 | $72,320 to $167,280 | $142,797 |
| Sales representative | 1,256,010 | $33.65 | $69,990 | $47,670 to $100,480 | $94,492 |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2025. The calculator above has every role for every state, and 393 metro areas.
| State | Bookkeeper | Administrative assistant | Office manager | Executive assistant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $44,640 | $41,630 | $60,360 | $69,450 |
| Alaska | $56,430 | $48,530 | $69,840 | $66,210 |
| Arizona | $50,590 | $47,940 | $64,250 | $70,770 |
| Arkansas | $42,840 | $37,630 | $58,100 | $51,600 |
| California | $59,230 | $55,400 | $77,590 | $89,000 |
| Colorado | $54,000 | $48,690 | $76,600 | $65,850 |
| Connecticut | $59,970 | $57,210 | $78,200 | $82,520 |
| Delaware | $51,780 | $47,970 | $75,220 | $78,920 |
| District of Columbia | $65,180 | $59,910 | $79,200 | $90,850 |
| Florida | $49,330 | $45,900 | $64,360 | $64,710 |
| Georgia | $49,350 | $41,600 | $64,620 | $68,290 |
| Guam | $33,280 | $36,030 | $44,980 | $43,930 |
| Hawaii | $48,730 | $50,830 | $63,080 | $80,710 |
| Idaho | $48,310 | $43,710 | $61,390 | $60,200 |
| Illinois | $49,560 | $48,310 | $69,010 | $74,390 |
| Indiana | $47,820 | $44,270 | $69,490 | $59,080 |
| Iowa | $48,180 | $45,150 | $64,400 | $62,340 |
| Kansas | $47,290 | $42,270 | $64,000 | $64,860 |
| Kentucky | $46,550 | $44,200 | $63,180 | $62,410 |
| Louisiana | $44,890 | $38,790 | $57,180 | $53,240 |
| Maine | $50,510 | $49,820 | $67,530 | $64,100 |
| Maryland | $53,540 | $48,680 | $74,140 | $78,540 |
| Massachusetts | $59,830 | $57,940 | $76,770 | $82,650 |
| Michigan | $48,980 | $46,020 | $64,720 | $66,840 |
| Minnesota | $54,600 | $51,400 | $76,440 | $78,470 |
| Mississippi | $42,840 | $37,340 | $58,380 | $55,670 |
| Missouri | $47,990 | $43,540 | $63,050 | $60,320 |
| Montana | $47,270 | $43,940 | $62,550 | $59,750 |
| Nebraska | $47,110 | $46,760 | $61,980 | $66,210 |
| Nevada | $50,380 | $46,570 | $63,090 | $67,830 |
| New Hampshire | $52,450 | $48,080 | $73,250 | $71,650 |
| New Jersey | $58,300 | $50,260 | $76,640 | $89,520 |
| New Mexico | $48,080 | $46,450 | $62,640 | $73,890 |
| New York | $58,160 | $49,600 | $79,170 | $80,640 |
| North Carolina | $47,930 | $45,790 | $62,340 | $70,140 |
| North Dakota | $49,710 | $47,480 | $68,720 | $61,270 |
| Ohio | $48,810 | $46,230 | $64,220 | $69,600 |
| Oklahoma | $46,180 | $39,660 | $60,870 | $59,910 |
| Oregon | $54,060 | $51,740 | $74,300 | $75,480 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,440 | $46,270 | $65,270 | $75,270 |
| Puerto Rico | $28,700 | $25,730 | $42,840 | $37,120 |
| Rhode Island | $53,280 | $52,140 | $76,030 | $77,820 |
| South Carolina | $47,940 | $44,880 | $62,920 | $60,890 |
| South Dakota | $46,340 | $41,700 | $62,530 | $55,170 |
| Tennessee | $48,180 | $45,810 | $66,390 | $68,190 |
| Texas | $48,910 | $45,140 | $64,940 | $71,990 |
| Utah | $49,440 | $47,050 | $66,900 | $61,130 |
| Vermont | $54,720 | $48,920 | $68,790 | $70,770 |
| Virgin Islands | $46,490 | $44,040 | $55,630 | $56,720 |
| Virginia | $51,620 | $47,620 | $67,170 | $80,330 |
| Washington | $58,620 | $57,330 | $79,480 | $79,250 |
| West Virginia | $42,890 | $40,370 | $53,660 | $63,820 |
| Wisconsin | $50,340 | $47,710 | $70,560 | $68,920 |
| Wyoming | $47,910 | $45,450 | $63,050 | $52,210 |
How these numbers are built
Wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for May 2025, for all industries, published in 2026. The median is the wage half of workers in that role earn more than and half earn less than. Annual figures assume 2,080 hours a year. Roles use these BLS occupations: bookkeeper (43-3031), administrative assistant (43-6014), executive assistant (43-6011), office manager (43-1011), office clerk (43-9061), customer service representative (43-4051), receptionist (43-4171), billing clerk (43-3021), payroll clerk (43-3051), dispatcher (43-5032), paralegal (23-2011), accountant (13-2011), financial manager (11-3031), operations manager (11-1021), sales representative (41-3091).
Employer cost adds benefits as a share of wages, from the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation release for June 2026: employers with 1 to 49 workers paid $9.76 in benefits for every $27.88 in wages per hour (table 6), or 35% on top; office and administrative jobs, all private employers paid $11.51 in benefits for every $25.22 in wages per hour (table 4), or 46% on top. Benefits there include paid leave, supplemental pay, insurance, retirement and legally required costs such as Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance.
Not included: recruiting, training, equipment, software, office space, management time and turnover. Where BLS does not publish a figure for a role in a place, the table says n/a. You are welcome to use these figures; please link to this page.
The part of these jobs that is routine
Every role above carries a routine core: invoices chased, payouts reconciled, schedules kept, routine customer email answered, the weekly numbers pulled together. That core is what Liaison does, inside the tools a business already runs: $629 a month on Professional, set up with you, or $149 a month self-serve. The judgment calls stay with your people.
AI bookkeeper · AI office manager · AI executive assistant · AI for small business
The routine half of every role above, for 11% of what a bookkeeper costs.
- Chases the invoices, reconciles the payouts and writes the month-end notes.
- Answers the routine customer email, books and reschedules, from your own inbox and calendar.
- Pulls the weekly numbers from your books, your bank and your CRM into one morning brief.
Professional is $629 a month, $7,548 a year, against about $68,400 a year for a bookkeeper at the median once benefits are added. On Professional we connect your tools, bring your data in and set up the first rules with you. Anything that moves money waits for your yes.
“Cut our month-end close from 4 days to 4 hours.” Marcus C., owner
$629 a month, or $500 a month on a 12-month term. Prefer to start on your own? Starter is $149 a month, self-serve, with a free trial first: 7 days, no card. More: AI for small business.
Questions
How much does a bookkeeper cost a small business?
The median bookkeeper in the U.S. earned $50,670 a year ($24.36 an hour) in May 2025. At employers with fewer than 50 workers, benefits add 35% on top of wages, so a full-time bookkeeper at the median costs about $68,400 a year. The middle half of bookkeepers earn between $43,520 and $61,470.
How much does an administrative assistant cost?
The median administrative assistant earned $47,540 a year ($22.86 an hour). With benefits at a small employer, that is about $64,200 a year. An executive assistant’s median is $76,590, or about $103,400 with benefits.
What does an office manager cost?
Office managers (first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers, in BLS terms) had a median wage of $69,500 a year. With benefits at a small employer, a full-time office manager at the median costs about $93,800 a year.
How much do benefits add to the cost of an employee?
In June 2026, benefits were $9.76 for every $27.88 of wages per hour at private employers with 1 to 49 workers, which adds 35% on top of wages. For office and administrative jobs across all private employers, the figure is 46%. Benefits here include paid leave, insurance, retirement, supplemental pay and legally required costs such as Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance.
Where does this data come from?
Wages are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, published in 2026. Benefit costs are from the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation release for June 2026, published September 9, 2026. We compile them; we do not adjust them.
What is not included?
Recruiting, training, equipment, software, office space, management time and the cost of turnover. Those vary too much by business to estimate honestly, and they all add to the totals here.
See it on your own business.
Thirty minutes with us, on your own tools. Bring the thing that eats your evenings and watch it get handled from your own inbox, calendar and books.
Professional is $629 a month and we set it up with you. Starter is $149 a month, self-serve, with the free trial first: 7 days, no card. Every plan is on the pricing page.