Best Bookkeeper Schools in California (2026)

Quick answer: Bookkeepers in California earn a median of $59,230 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited bookkeeper schools in California with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

If you want to train as a bookkeeper in California, start by weighing program length, schedule, and cost at nearby schools. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $59,230 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

California Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$59,230BLS OEWS, May 2025
California pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$41,600 to $81,990BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying California metro for this fieldSan Jose, CA, $66,130BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)-5.8% growth, about 170,000 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment151,870 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
California location quotient0.94BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Bookkeeper Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the California figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools within 87 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#2

Moorpark College

Moorpark, CA 87.4 miles away BOC Score 65.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 43.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 30
  • Annual completions: 715
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $77,599 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Ventura College

Ventura, CA 81.6 miles away BOC Score 61.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 40.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 32
  • Annual completions: 1192
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,753 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA 71.9 miles away BOC Score 56.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 34.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 41
  • Annual completions: 832
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $63,514 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Allan Hancock College

Santa Maria, CA 61.2 miles away BOC Score 55.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 26.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 53
  • Annual completions: 2518
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,202 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA 82.9 miles away BOC Score 55.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 46.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 55
  • Annual completions: 1226
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $57,231 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Lemoore College

Lemoore, CA 61.8 miles away BOC Score 55.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 44.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 20
  • Annual completions: 582
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,402 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Coalinga College

Coalinga, CA 68.1 miles away BOC Score 49.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 42.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 19
  • Annual completions: 325
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $46,286 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

College of the Sequoias

Visalia, CA 62.6 miles away BOC Score 47.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 35.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 53
  • Annual completions: 2591
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $44,147 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Porterville College

Porterville, CA 51.1 miles away BOC Score 44.8
Tuition $1,438 - $20,730
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 31.8%
  • Programs offered: 24
  • Annual completions: 334
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $36,940 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

Reedley College

Reedley, CA 81.3 miles away BOC Score 41.6
Tuition $1,334 - $16,881
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 42.2%
  • Programs offered: 42
  • Annual completions: 881
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $42,644 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA 31.0 miles away BOC Score 24.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 21.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 72
  • Annual completions: 1246
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,238 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Bookkeeper Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $36000, P25 $43520, P50 $50670, P75 $61470, P90 $74550.10th$36,00025th$43,52050th (median)$50,67075th$61,47090th$74,550
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$36,000
25th$43,520
50th (median)$50,670
75th$61,470
90th$74,550
Projected employment growth, United States, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, 2024-2034
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 1.6134e+06; 2034 projected employment 1.5191e+06; percent change -5.8%.20241,613,400 jobs2034 (proj.)1,519,100 jobsChange: -5.8%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
20241,613,400
2034 projected1,519,100
Percent change-5.8%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does bookkeeper training take in California?

Bookkeeper certificate programs in California typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do bookkeepers earn in California?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), bookkeepers in California earned a median annual wage of approximately $59,230. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $41,600 to $81,990 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many bookkeeper schools are in California?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)