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Court Clerk

$48,700
median / year
$36,300 – $73,820
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

File court records, schedule cases, process paperwork, and help judges and the public with court procedures.

You may also see this posted as: City Clerk, License Clerk, Town Clerk, City Recorder, License Specialist, Motor Vehicle Field Representative (MVFR).

Where you work

Courthouses and municipal offices

The hours

Regular weekday business hours

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Evaluate information on applications to verify completeness and accuracy and to determine whether applicants are qualified to obtain desired licenses.
  • Perform administrative tasks, such as answering telephone calls, filing court documents, or maintaining office supplies or equipment.
  • Verify the authenticity of documents, such as foreign identification or immigration documents.
  • Record and edit the minutes of meetings and distribute to appropriate officials or staff members.
  • Question applicants to obtain required information, such as name, address, or age, and record data on prescribed forms.

Good fit if you like…

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

O*NET job zone 2 of 5

Some preparation—often a high school credential and on-the-job learning—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailDependabilityIntegrityCautiousness

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft WordAdobe AcrobatMicrosoft Access

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$48,700
per year
Hourly median
$23.41
per hour
What most earn
$36,300–$73,820
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~18,500
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+3%
About average
Working in the U.S.
179,750
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 1% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: On-the-job training, paid.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

OrganizationAttention to detailRecordkeepingCommunication

The honest take

Keeps the court's records and schedules moving — stable public-sector work with regular hours.

Standard Occupational Classification 43-4031. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.