Salary expectations: how do you answer? - 2 months and counting

A recruiter asked for my salary expectations on a first call as I look for work as a bookkeeper. There are 15 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I looked up ranges in Madison and they vary a lot. How do you research fairly?

I gave a range based on local postings and said I was flexible depending on the whole package. They did not push back.

Check several sources for pay in Madison, then pick a range where the low end is one you can live with.