Occupation salary profile

Order Clerks

SOC 43-4151 BLS OEWS May 2025

Receive and process incoming orders for materials, merchandise, classified ads, or services such as repairs, installations, or rental of facilities. Generally receives orders via mail, phone, fax, or other electronic means. Duties include informing customers of receipt, prices, shipping dates, and delays; preparing contracts; and handling complaints. Excludes “Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance” (43-5032) who both dispatch and take orders for services.

National median · BLS
$46,170
▲ +3.38% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$48,220
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
75,200
Jobs (BLS)
Highest-paying state (cost-adjusted) Loading…
Most jobs Loading…
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 Order 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$35,530
25th$39,660
Median (50th)$46,170
75th$54,310
90th — top pay$63,530

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 Order Clerks

BLS projects employment of order clerks to decline 17.5% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 6,300 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
78,900 → 65,100
-13,800 jobs
Projected change
-17.5%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
6,300
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Some college, no degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
4.8% 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.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need some college but no degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Order 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
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Speaking3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.5
  • Service Orientation3.5
  • Critical Thinking3.1
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.1
  • Monitoring3.1
  • Writing3.1
  • Active Learning3.0
  • Coordination3.0
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service4.4
  • Production and Processing4.2
  • Computers and Electronics4.0
  • Education and Training3.9
  • English Language3.8
  • Administrative3.7
  • Mathematics3.7
  • Sales and Marketing3.6
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareOrder management softwareAdobe AcrobatApple SafariIntuit QuickBooksMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft EdgeMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordMozilla FirefoxSAP softwareAutomated manifest system softwareCorel WordPerfect Office SuiteEmail softwareIBM Sterling Configure, Price, QuoteInventory management systems

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 order clerks do

  • Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
  • Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms.
  • Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs.
  • Inspect outgoing work for compliance with customers' specifications.
  • Receive and respond to customer complaints.
  • Check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise.
  • Verify customer and order information for correctness, checking it against previously obtained information as necessary.
  • Compute total charges for merchandise or services and shipping charges.
Also called
Materials SpecialistOrder ClerkWarehouse ClerkWarehouse PersonHub AssociateOrder AnalystOrder Entry Administrator (Order Entry Admin)Order Entry Representative (Order Entry Rep)Order Processing ClerkOrder Taker
More job titles for this occupation (53)
Ad Taker (Advertising Taker)Advertising Clerk (Ad Clerk)Advertising Space Clerk (Ad Space Clerk)Back Order ClerkBlood Bank Credit ClerkBlood Bank Order Control ClerkCatalogue ClerkClassified Ad Clerk (Classified Advertisement Clerk)Classified Ad Taker (Classified Advertisement Taker)Clerical Order FillerCompliance ClerkContact ClerkContact WorkerFilm Rental ClerkFood and Beverage Order ClerkFulfillment AssociateFulfillment Center AssociateFulfillment ClerkFulfillment SpecialistGas Distribution and Emergency ClerkMail Order ClerkMerchandise ProcessorNew Order ClerkOmni Fulfillment OutfitterOrder Administrator (Order Admin)Order AssociateOrder BookerOrder BuilderOrder CallerOrder Desk ClerkOrder EditorOrder Entry ClerkOrder Entry SpecialistOrder FillerOrder Fulfillment AssociateOrder Make Up ClerkOrder ProcessorOrder PullerOrder SelectorOrder SpecialistOrder TracerReceiverReordering ClerkRouting ClerkService Order ClerkShipping CoordinatorSubscription ClerkTelephone Ad Taker (Telephone Advertisement Taker)Telephone Order ClerkWant Ad Clerk (Want Advertisement Clerk)Want Ad Receiver (Want Advertisement Receiver)Warehouse Order PickerWarehouse Order Puller

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.