Office Clerks, General Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for office clerks, generals across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $46,420 ≈ $22/hr
National median salary $45,010
Total employment 2,464,940 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -6.7% Decline
Annual openings 282,400 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 2,646,000 → 2,468,200 (-177,800)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. District of Columbia$57,730
  2. Colorado$56,890
  3. Washington$53,940
  4. Alaska$53,410
  5. North Dakota$52,730

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Alabama$33,370
  2. Louisiana$34,470
  3. Mississippi$36,250
  4. West Virginia$36,560
  5. Kansas$37,330
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 District of Columbia $57,730 $55,040 $28 +24.4% 5,670
2 Colorado $56,890 $53,550 $27 +22.6% 31,770
3 Washington $53,940 $50,500 $26 +16.2% 49,050
4 Alaska $53,410 $51,890 $26 +15.1% 3,440
5 North Dakota $52,730 $50,160 $25 +13.6% 8,440
6 Massachusetts $51,980 $49,940 $25 +12% 47,940
7 California $51,880 $48,460 $25 +11.8% 311,490
8 Oregon $51,180 $49,910 $25 +10.3% 27,980
9 New Jersey $51,060 $48,570 $25 +10% 65,130
10 Connecticut $50,660 $48,280 $24 +9.1% 23,190
11 New Hampshire $50,640 $49,020 $24 +9.1% 12,740
12 Maryland $50,570 $47,270 $24 +8.9% 27,290
13 Rhode Island $49,950 $47,830 $24 +7.6% 7,700
14 Vermont $49,740 $48,310 $24 +7.2% 5,100
15 Minnesota $49,410 $47,840 $24 +6.4% 55,530

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 520 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Boulder, CO $59,840 $61,790 1,510
2 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $58,840 $61,400 13,470
3 Greeley, CO $56,030 $55,810 1,570
4 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $55,960 $56,750 2,030
5 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $55,620 $58,660 3,630
6 Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area $54,900 $56,470 1,610
7 West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area $54,080 $56,120 2,010
8 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $53,990 $57,860 16,320
9 Anchorage, AK $53,550 $55,050 1,920
10 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $53,290 $56,470 27,460

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing office clerks, generals (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Postal Service (Federal Government) $75,030 $69,940 1,020
2 Postal Service (Federal Government) $75,030 $69,940 1,020
3 Nonscheduled Air Transportation $72,190 $62,540 1,050
4 Natural Gas Distribution $70,520 $72,120 2,090
5 Hydroelectric Power Generation $69,210 $69,950 80
6 Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing $66,680 $61,690 460
7 Nuclear Electric Power Generation $65,100 $65,000 300
8 Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas $64,280 $61,940 250
9 Other Pipeline Transportation $62,510 $62,940 60
10 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation $61,970 $60,860 620
11 Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $60,910 $61,760 4,070
12 Pipeline Transportation $60,540 $61,890 370

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
578,380
$10-20k
182,671
$20-30k
199,643
$30-40k
257,670
$40-50k
202,501
$50-60k
120,068
$60-70k
74,768
$70-80k
34,069
$80-90k
23,746
$90-100k
17,395
$100-110k
9,754
$110-120k
4,239
$120-130k
5,854
$130-140k
2,487
$140-150k
1,471
$150-160k
3,770
$160-170k
1,203
$170-180k
442
$180-190k
627
$190-200k
219
$200k+
5,054

Pay by age band

16-24
$13,141
25-34
$31,303
35-44
$35,433
45-54
$39,888
55-64
$35,244
65+
$16,754

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$26,171
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$25,703
Bachelors Degree
$34,801
Associates Degree
$31,046
Some college, but less than 1 year
$29,752
Masters Degree
$40,090
GED or alternative credential
$24,312
Grade 11
$10,400
12th grade - no diploma
$21,966
No schooling completed
$28,169
Grade 10
$15,949
Professional degree
$38,007
Grade 9
$14,769
Doctorate degree
$36,966
Grade 8
$33,440
Grade 5
$38,114
Grade 6
$18,179
Grade 7
$22,978
Grade 3
$49,565
Nursery school, preschool
$10,038
Grade 4
Kindergarten

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
916,522 · $45,554
Part-time
368,286 · $16,139

Race / ethnicity

White
$27,658
Black
$30,572
Two or More Races
$28,680
Other
$31,960
Asian
$30,376
American Indian
$27,537
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$23,826
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$37,968
Alaska Native
$16,415

Top fields of study

Business Management And Administration
$39,502
General Business
$36,782
Psychology
$33,896
English Language And Literature
$33,748
Accounting
$34,404
Communications
$44,934
Marketing And Marketing Research
$35,256
Criminal Justice And Fire Protection
$39,145

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Reading Comprehension
3.8
Active Listening
3.8
Speaking
3.6
Writing
3.1
Critical Thinking
3.0
Social Perceptiveness
3.0
Coordination
3.0
Service Orientation
3.0
Time Management
3.0
Monitoring
2.9
Active Learning
2.8
Instructing
2.8

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do office clerks, general make in the U.S.?

The median office clerks, general salary in the United States is $45,010 per year (mean $46,420), and about 80% earn between $30,310 and $64,680.

How much do office clerks, general make per hour?

Roughly $22 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $46,420 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays office clerks, general the most?

District of Columbia has the highest average pay for office clerks, general at $57,730 per year (median $55,040).

What is the job outlook for office clerks, general?

Employment is projected to change -6.7% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 282,400 openings per year.