Occupations · Office and Administrative Support

Office Clerks, General

Perform duties too varied and diverse to be classified in any specific office clerical occupation, requiring knowledge of office systems and procedures. Clerical duties may be assigned in accordance with the office procedures of individual establishments and may include a combination of answering telephones, bookkeeping, typing or word processing, office machine operation, and filing.

O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 43-9061.00

$43,630median annual wage, May 2024

2,510,550people employed, United States

▼ 6.7%projected change, 2024→2034

282,400openings a year, incl. replacements

What it pays

A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage

Pay over time

Median up 94% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.

BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.

Where the jobs are

Metro area	Median wage	Employed
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	$46,930	137,660
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$47,180	111,440
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	$45,450	74,130
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$44,050	55,110
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$46,020	51,570
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$41,790	49,410
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	$38,040	45,420
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$41,980	43,990
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$51,270	41,220
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	$45,640	36,070
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$47,860	35,890
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	$55,790	35,750

BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation

Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34

What people in this job actually do

Ordered by how important the work is rated.

Operate office machines, such as photocopiers and scanners, facsimile machines, voice mail systems, and personal computers.
Answer telephones, direct calls, and take messages.
Communicate with customers, employees, and other individuals to answer questions, disseminate or explain information, take orders, and address complaints.
Collect, count, and disburse money, do basic bookkeeping, and complete banking transactions.
Complete and mail bills, contracts, policies, invoices, or checks.
Maintain and update filing, inventory, mailing, and database systems, either manually or using a computer.
Compile, copy, sort, and file records of office activities, business transactions, and other activities.
Review files, records, and other documents to obtain information to respond to requests.
Open, sort, and route incoming mail, answer correspondence, and prepare outgoing mail.
Process and prepare documents, such as business or government forms and expense reports.
Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports.
Complete work schedules, manage calendars, and arrange appointments.

O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale

Skills that matter most

Importance, rated 1 to 5.

Reading Comprehension3.8

Active Listening3.8

Speaking3.6

Writing3.1

Critical Thinking3.0

Monitoring2.9

Active Learning2.8

Mathematics2.1

Learning Strategies2.1

Science1.0

O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale

Software and tools

A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.

Adobe Acrobat●Adobe InDesign●Facebook●Google Docs●Google Workspace software●Henry Schein Dentrix●Intuit QuickBooks●MEDITECH software●Microsoft Access●Microsoft Excel●Microsoft Office software●Microsoft Outlook●Microsoft PowerPoint●Microsoft Project●Microsoft SharePoint●Microsoft Windows●Microsoft Word●Oracle PeopleSoft●SAP software●Yardi software●3M Post-it AppADP Workforce NowAlpha Software Alpha FiveAppointment scheduling softwareBilling softwareBlackbaud The Raiser's EdgeBlackboard softwareBookkeeping software

O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag

What this work is actually like

Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.

2 / 5Some preparation — a school diploma and a few months of on-the-job training.

O*NET 30.3 Job Zones

Working conditions that stand out

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets−1.7 below average

Spend Time Sitting+1.3 above average

Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions−1.2 below average

Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled−1.1 below average

Exposed to Hazardous Equipment−1.0 below average

Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures−1.0 below average

Exposed to Hazardous Conditions−1.0 below average

O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2018-08

How people actually get in

Share of workers by the education they hold.

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)41%

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)36%

Some College Courses15%

Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)7%

O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2018-08

What kind of person the work suits

Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.

Conventional6.8

Enterprising3.2

Social3.1

O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)

What you take with you

Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.

Service Orientation3.0

Coordination3.0

Social Perceptiveness3.0

Time Management3.0

Instructing2.8

Judgment and Decision Making2.8

Complex Problem Solving2.6

Negotiation2.6

O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale

Knowledge the work draws on

AdministrativeEnglish LanguageCustomer and Personal ServiceAdministration and ManagementComputers and ElectronicsMathematics

Abilities it leans on

Oral ExpressionOral ComprehensionWritten ComprehensionWritten ExpressionSpeech ClaritySpeech Recognition

O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale

How this job is advertised

The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.

ClerkRouterStubberCharterMap ClerkYard ClerkUnit ClerkDesk ClerkPolice AideFloor ClerkField ClerkOffice AideTrain ClerkTrace Clerk

O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation

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What changed since 2015

Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 3 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.

Now listed 28

+Dropbox+Google Workspace software+Yardi software+SmugMug Flickr+Oracle PeopleSoft Financials+Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne+Microsoft SharePoint+3M Post-it App+Salesforce.com Salesforce CRM+LinkedIn+SAP software+Social media sites+Facebook+Microsoft Dynamics

No longer listed 6

−Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat−Spreadsheet software−Salesforce software−Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign−Word processing software−Sage Peachtree software

Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.

O*NET 30.3 related occupations

Also called

ClerkReaderSorterRouterTypistCharterStubberMap ClerkSecretaryYard ClerkUnit ClerkBookkeeper

O*NET 30.3 alternative titles

The same work in Europe

ESCO occupation	ISCO	Match
office clerk	4110.1	exact
file clerk	4415.1	close
civil service administrative officer	2422.1	close
foreign language correspondence clerk	4419.2	close

Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)

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