Perform duties too varied and diverse to be classified in any specific office clerical occupation, requiring knowledge of office systems and procedures. Clerical duties may be assigned in accordance with the office procedures of individual establishments and may include a combination of answering telephones, bookkeeping, typing or word processing, office machine operation, and filing.
National median · BLS
$45,010
▲ +3.16%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$46,420
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
2,464,940
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Office Clerks, General
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$30,310
25th
$36,350
Median (50th)
$45,010
75th
$54,300
90th — top pay
$64,680
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
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Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Office Clerks, General
BLS projects employment of office clerks, general to decline 6% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 249,000 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
2,600,000 → 2,443,700
-156,200 jobs
Projected change
-6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
249,000
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
0.7% 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.
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 office clerks, general do
Operate office machines, such as photocopiers and scanners, facsimile machines, voice mail systems, and personal computers.
Answer telephones, direct calls, and take messages.
Communicate with customers, employees, and other individuals to answer questions, disseminate or explain information, take orders, and address complaints.
Maintain and update filing, inventory, mailing, and database systems, either manually or using a computer.
Compile, copy, sort, and file records of office activities, business transactions, and other activities.
Review files, records, and other documents to obtain information to respond to requests.
Open, sort, and route incoming mail, answer correspondence, and prepare outgoing mail.
Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports.
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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 Office Clerks, General, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $45,010.
