Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for shipping, receiving, and inventory clerkss 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 $46,810 ≈ $23/hr
National median salary $45,260
Total employment 816,870 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -7.7% Decline
Annual openings 69,300 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 862,200 → 795,800 (-66,300)
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. Washington$57,510
  2. Hawaii$56,100
  3. District of Columbia$55,160
  4. Massachusetts$52,560
  5. Alaska$52,170

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Mississippi$41,250
  2. Alabama$41,720
  3. New Mexico$42,540
  4. Utah$42,790
  5. Arkansas$43,130
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Washington $57,510 $51,590 $28 +22.9% 19,500
2 Hawaii $56,100 $49,660 $27 +19.8% 1,390
3 District of Columbia $55,160 $49,660 $27 +17.8% 680
4 Massachusetts $52,560 $49,240 $25 +12.3% 14,370
5 Alaska $52,170 $47,900 $25 +11.5% 890
6 Vermont $50,760 $49,080 $24 +8.4% 780
7 Colorado $49,850 $47,130 $24 +6.5% 15,610
8 New York $49,750 $47,100 $24 +6.3% 30,750
9 Oregon $49,650 $47,540 $24 +6.1% 11,210
10 New Hampshire $49,610 $47,960 $24 +6% 4,090
11 Minnesota $49,290 $47,890 $24 +5.3% 13,210
12 California $49,250 $46,520 $24 +5.2% 88,760
13 North Dakota $48,970 $46,730 $24 +4.6% 1,520
14 Maine $48,890 $47,160 $24 +4.4% 2,470
15 Illinois $48,880 $46,760 $24 +4.4% 33,030

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 521 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $56,370 $61,870 12,520
2 Walla Walla, WA $55,960 $51,380 150
3 Kahului-Wailuku, HI $55,950 $56,270 120
4 Napa, CA $55,520 $56,930 330
5 North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area $54,930 $54,140 570
6 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA $54,910 $54,870 290
7 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $54,640 $56,030 4,210
8 Fairbanks-College, AK $53,080 $55,470 110
9 West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area $53,020 $55,100 170
10 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $52,590 $55,750 7,790

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing shipping, receiving, and inventory clerkss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation $83,510 $84,990 180
2 Rail Transportation $78,570 $72,420 160
3 Rail Transportation $78,570 $72,420 160
4 Natural Gas Distribution $78,090 $73,200 100
5 Nuclear Electric Power Generation $76,680 $75,710 30
6 Postal Service (Federal Government) $76,360 $73,880 690
7 Postal Service (Federal Government) $76,360 $73,880 690
8 Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $74,400 $72,250 1,170
9 Utilities $72,140 $69,580 1,420
10 Sector 22 - Utilities $72,140 $69,580 1,420
11 Oil and Gas Extraction $66,340 $56,210 190
12 Oil and Gas Extraction $66,340 $56,210 190

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
148,625
$10-20k
58,672
$20-30k
101,029
$30-40k
155,282
$40-50k
123,493
$50-60k
63,531
$60-70k
34,094
$70-80k
18,356
$80-90k
9,446
$90-100k
3,348
$100-110k
3,098
$110-120k
1,620
$120-130k
447
$130-140k
996
$140-150k
805
$150-160k
176
$170-180k
277
$190-200k
423
$200k+
1,542

Pay by age band

16-24
$20,268
25-34
$32,008
35-44
$37,484
45-54
$40,702
55-64
$37,885
65+
$21,333

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$34,088
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$31,059
Bachelors Degree
$37,103
Some college, but less than 1 year
$32,782
Associates Degree
$32,552
GED or alternative credential
$31,629
12th grade - no diploma
$29,841
No schooling completed
$34,737
Grade 11
$28,583
Masters Degree
$43,075
Grade 9
$30,563
Grade 10
$17,109
Grade 6
$28,726
Grade 8
$23,608
Grade 3
$43,219
Grade 7
$22,306
Grade 2
$24,452
Grade 5
$28,449
Professional degree
$53,254
Grade 4
$28,399
Doctorate degree
$48,676
Kindergarten
$6,797

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
505,574 · $42,432
Part-time
84,830 · $19,033

Race / ethnicity

White
$33,655
Black
$30,380
Two or More Races
$34,231
Other
$31,775
Asian
$33,931
American Indian
$35,327
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$31,835
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$27,156

Top fields of study

Business Management And Administration
$45,002
General Business
$37,534
Psychology
$29,391
Accounting
$29,897
History
$44,071
Criminal Justice And Fire Protection
$51,518
General Education
$38,387
Marketing And Marketing Research
$37,540

Top Skills

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

Speaking
3.3
Reading Comprehension
3.1
Active Listening
3.1
Critical Thinking
3.0
Monitoring
3.0
Time Management
3.0
Coordination
2.9
Judgment and Decision Making
2.9
Social Perceptiveness
2.9
Complex Problem Solving
2.9
Persuasion
2.8
Writing
2.6

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks make in the U.S.?

The median shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks salary in the United States is $45,260 per year (mean $46,810), and about 80% earn between $34,650 and $62,190.

How much do shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks make per hour?

Roughly $23 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $46,810 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks the most?

Washington has the highest average pay for shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks at $57,510 per year (median $51,590).

What is the job outlook for shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks?

Employment is projected to change -7.7% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 69,300 openings per year.