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Office Clerk

$43,630
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Handle filing, data entry, mail, and other office tasks that keep daily operations organized.

Where you work

Offices across most industries

The hours

Regular weekday hours

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$43,630
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~282,400
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-7%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
2,646,000
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.

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: On-the-job training, paid from day one.

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.

What it takes

OrganizationComputer basicsAttention to detailReliability

The honest take

Slowly shrinking as software absorbs the paperwork, but still a common way into office work.

Standard Occupational Classification 43-9061. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.