Office Clerks salary in the US
A data-first look at general office clerks' pay: the median, the thresholds for the top 25% and top 10%, and how earnings vary across the country.
How much do general office clerks earn?
Across the country, the midpoint of annual earnings for general office clerks is $36,867 — 30% less than the $52,508 median for all US earners aged 25 and older. That ranks 133rd of 171 occupation groups, in the lowest-paid quarter of the list. 57,701 respondents aged 25+ reported this occupation, which is what the median is calculated from.
| Position | Annual earnings |
|---|---|
| Top 10% start at | $72,618 |
| Top 25% start at | $52,474 |
| Median (top 50%) | $36,867 |
| Bottom 25% earn below | $21,478 |
How wide is the pay range?
Moving up the ladder, the top-quarter threshold is $52,474 and the top-10% threshold is $72,618, a 2.0× step up from the middle. At the other end, a quarter of general office clerks earned $21,478 or less, which partly reflects part-time and part-year work — the survey counts everyone with earnings, not only full-time staff. That leaves a 1.7-to-1 ratio between the median and the 25th percentile.
Earnings by age
The age curve is gentle: $34,604 for workers aged 25–34, peaking at $41,763 for those aged 45–54. After the peak, the 65+ group's median falls to $24,440 (41% lower), largely because more older workers cut back their hours.
Men and women
By sex, the medians are $41,979 (men) and $36,661 (women) — a 13% difference. Women make up roughly 84% of the survey records here (an unweighted count, so treat it as approximate). Because these are annual totals, more part-time work in one group widens the gap; the survey doesn't adjust for that.
| Group | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| Men | $41,979 | 9,084 |
| Women | $36,661 | 48,617 |
Does education change the pay?
Education shifts pay modestly here: medians range from $33,484 (a doctorate) to $40,610 (a master's degree). Most workers surveyed in this job have some college or an associate degree (24,597 records); any level under 100 records is blank in the table.
| Education | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| High school or less | $35,797 | 19,441 |
| Some college / associate | $37,564 | 24,597 |
| Bachelor's | $39,328 | 10,696 |
| Master's | $40,610 | 2,469 |
| Professional degree | $36,703 | 345 |
| Doctorate | $33,484 | 153 |
Where the most work, and what they earn there
California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania contribute the largest numbers of survey records for this job. The state medians range from $33,583 in Florida up to $42,957 in New York. State figures aren't price-adjusted; 50 states have a large enough sample to report.
| State | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| California | $41,290 | 8,401 |
| New York | $42,957 | 4,688 |
| Texas | $34,604 | 4,572 |
| Florida | $33,583 | 3,465 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,724 | 2,521 |
Occupations with similar pay
Similar typical earnings show up for dental assistants ($36,731), data entry keyers ($36,731), security guards and gambling surveillance officers ($36,661), and construction laborers ($37,589). They aren't interchangeable careers, though the middle of the pay distribution is close.
| Occupation | Median earnings | vs. this job |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Assistants | $36,731 | 0% |
| Data Entry Keyers | $36,731 | 0% |
| Security Guards And Gambling Surveillance Officers | $36,661 | −1% |
| Construction Laborers | $37,589 | +2% |
| Painters and Paperhangers | $35,638 | −3% |
About these figures
Method note: earnings here are PERNP — wages, salary and self-employment income — for workers 25 and older, from the 2020–2024 ACS microdata in 2024 dollars. Any group with fewer than 100 records is suppressed instead of estimated. This page draws on 57,701 records.
See where your pay ranks among general office clerks
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Open the calculatorSource: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) — personal earnings (PERNP) in 2024 dollars, person-weighted
Reference statistics only — not financial advice.