File correspondence, cards, invoices, receipts, and other records in alphabetical or numerical order or according to the filing system used. Locate and remove material from file when requested.
National median · BLS
$43,600
▲ +5.65%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$45,590
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
73,440
Jobs (BLS)
Highest-paying state (cost-adjusted)Loading…
Most jobsLoading…
Highest-paying metro (cost-adjusted)Loading…
Check your salary
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 File Clerks
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$31,200
25th
$36,420
Median (50th)
$43,600
75th
$51,770
90th — top pay
$63,490
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
Type in either box; the other updates instantly.
⇄
Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for File Clerks
BLS projects employment of file clerks to decline 15.8% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 5,600 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
76,200 → 64,200
-12,000 jobs
Projected change
-15.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
5,600
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
1.4% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
File Clerks salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for File Clerks
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
Reading Comprehension3.9
Active Listening3.4
Speaking3.3
Monitoring3.1
Service Orientation3.1
Writing3.1
Critical Thinking3.0
Social Perceptiveness3.0
Time Management3.0
Active Learning2.9
Top knowledge areas
Administrative4.5
English Language4.3
Customer and Personal Service4.2
Law and Government3.4
Computers and Electronics3.3
Telecommunications3.3
Mathematics3.2
Public Safety and Security3.1
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft WordAdobe AcrobatIntuit QuickBooksMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft WindowsElectronic filing softwareElectronic health record EHR softwareEmail softwareOptical scanning 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 file clerks do
Perform general office activities, such as typing, answering telephones, operating office machines, processing mail, or securing confidential materials.
Keep records of materials filed or removed, using logbooks or computers and generate computerized reports.
Gather materials to be filed from departments or employees.
Find, retrieve, and make copies of information from files in response to requests and deliver information to authorized users.
Add new material to file records or create new records as necessary.
Sort or classify information according to guidelines, such as content, purpose, user criteria, or chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order.
Scan or read incoming materials to determine how and where they should be classified or filed.
Eliminate outdated or unnecessary materials, destroying them or transferring them to inactive storage, according to file maintenance guidelines or legal requirements.
Also called
ClerkFile ClerkOffice AssistantRecords ClerkClaims ClerkClerk TypistDocumentation SpecialistMedical Records ClerkPolice Records ClerkRecords Custodian
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.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to File Clerks, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $43,600.
