Occupation salary profile

Clergy

SOC 21-2011 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Conduct religious worship and perform other spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination. Provide spiritual and moral guidance and assistance to members.

National median · BLS
$60,810
▼ -0.02% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$55,078
▲ +7.16% YoY · 252 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$66,860
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
57,200
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Clergy

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 252 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$37,860$40,760
25th$48,260$46,738
Median (50th)$60,810$55,078
75th$76,640$67,614
90th — top pay$98,890$82,350
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $55,078 for Clergy — 9.4% below the BLS national median of $60,810.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Clergy

BLS projects employment of clergy to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 19,200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
242,000 → 247,800
+5,700 jobs
Projected change
+2.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
19,200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
5.7% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $55,078
Change vs prior year +7.16%
After inflation (CPI-U) +3.91%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 133 52.8% $42,536 $47,424 $55,078
Level II 69 27.4% $52,500 $59,342 $65,000
Level III 19 7.5% $70,000 $78,612 $84,772
Level IV 31 12.3% $67,620 $77,724 $93,737
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Clergy

The 5 most-filed job titles inside SOC 21-2011, from 252 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Pastor 75 29.76% $46,769 $64,179 $78,168 +4.19%
Roman Catholic Priest 37 14.68% $45,344 $52,200 $55,078 +12.13%
Parochial Vicar 15 5.95% $46,542 $59,342 $59,342 —
Associate Pastor 15 5.95% $38,688 $57,166 $63,200 +6.85%
Clergy 11 4.37% $50,500 $60,570 $63,250 +19.41%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Clergy

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Speaking4.8
  • Active Listening4.3
  • Social Perceptiveness4.1
  • Instructing4.0
  • Service Orientation4.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.9
  • Persuasion3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Time Management3.9
  • Writing3.9
Top knowledge areas
  • Philosophy and Theology4.7
  • English Language4.2
  • Administration and Management4.1
  • Customer and Personal Service4.0
  • Education and Training3.8
  • Therapy and Counseling3.8
  • Communications and Media3.7
  • Psychology3.7
Software and technology used
FacebookMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordEmail softwareEvent scheduling softwareGroupMeMembership databasesTwitterWeb browser software

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What clergy do

  • Pray and promote spirituality.
  • Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks.
  • Read from sacred texts, such as the Bible, Torah, or Koran.
  • Organize and lead regular religious services.
  • Instruct people who seek conversion to a particular faith.
  • Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching.
  • Counsel individuals or groups concerning their spiritual, emotional, or personal needs.
  • Administer religious rites or ordinances.
Also called
MinisterPastorPriestRectorBishopChaplainChildren's MinisterImamRabbiWorship Pastor
More job titles for this occupation (46)
Administrator PastorBrotherCampus MinisterCampus PastorCantorCatechistCatholic PriestChancellorChaplain ResidentChildren's PastorChurch PastorClergy MemberCollege ChaplainConfessorCurateDeaconDeaconessElderEvangelistHebrew CantorHospice ChaplainHospice Spiritual Care CoordinatorHospital ChaplainMarriage Counselor MinisterMarriage PerformerMinistry PastorMohelOrdained MinisterParish PriestPastoral AssociatePastoral CounselorPopePreacherPrefectPresbyterian ClergyProtestant ChaplainResident ChaplainReverendSpiritual Care CoordinatorSpiritual Care DirectorSpiritual CounselorVicarWedding OfficiantWorship LeaderYouth MinisterYouth Pastor

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.