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Correspondence Clerks: Career Overview
Compose letters or electronic correspondence in reply to requests for merchandise, damage claims, credit and other information, delinquent accounts, incorrect billings, or unsatisfactory services. Duties may include gathering data to formulate reply and preparing correspondence.
What Tasks Do Correspondence Clerks Do?
The day-to-day responsibilities of correspondence clerks include:
- Maintain files and control records to show correspondence activities.
- Read incoming correspondence to ascertain nature of writers' concerns and to determine disposition of correspondence.
- Gather records pertinent to specific problems, review them for completeness and accuracy, and attach records to correspondence as necessary.
- Prepare documents and correspondence, such as damage claims, credit and billing inquiries, invoices, and service complaints.
- Compile data from records to prepare periodic reports.
- Compose letters in reply to correspondence concerning such items as requests for merchandise, damage claims, credit information requests, delinquent accounts, incorrect billing, or unsatisfactory service.
- Route correspondence to other departments for reply.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful correspondence clerks draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Authorization Coordinator
- Authorization Representative (Authorization Rep)
- Authorization Specialist
- Authorization and Referral Coordinator
- Chargeback Specialist
- Claims Correspondence Clerk
- Collections Correspondent
- Commercial Correspondent
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 1,455,119 correspondence clerks working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -2.6% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Correspondence Clerks
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $50,840 |
| Hourly median | $24.44 |
| 10th percentile | $33,239 |
| 25th percentile | $42,040 |
| 75th percentile | $59,641 |
| 90th percentile | $68,442 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Correspondence Clerks Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Connecticut | $55,580 |
| Minnesota | $53,350 |
| California | $53,060 |
| Oregon | $52,000 |
| Ohio | $48,890 |
| Idaho | $48,270 |
| Nebraska | $48,140 |
| Illinois | $47,990 |
| Maine | $47,750 |
| New York | $47,660 |
| Virginia | $46,740 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,710 |
| Wisconsin | $46,020 |
| Utah | $45,900 |
| Indiana | $45,040 |
| Nevada | $44,400 |
| Maryland | $44,380 |
| Texas | $43,750 |
| Florida | $43,700 |
| North Carolina | $42,580 |
| South Carolina | $41,540 |
| New Jersey | $41,440 |
| Missouri | $41,320 |
| Louisiana | $40,480 |
| Tennessee | $39,370 |
| Arizona | $38,740 |
| New Hampshire | $37,700 |
Where Correspondence Clerks Earn the Most
Compensation for correspondence clerks vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $52,838 | 10.1% | 0.60 |
| New England | $47,750 | 1.2% | 1.93 |
| Middle Atlantic | $47,053 | 20.2% | 1.26 |
| Rocky Mountains | $46,629 | 3.1% | 1.28 |
| Southwest | $43,750 | 36.2% | 2.74 |
| Southeast | $32,613 | 18.5% | 1.13 |
| Plains States | $27,527 | 4.9% | 1.11 |
| Great Lakes | $25,576 | 5.9% | 0.68 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $72,400 | 40 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | PA | $58,260 | 70 |
| Syracuse, NY | NY | $55,120 | 30 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | NH | $54,890 | 50 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $52,830 | 160 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | OR | $52,000 | 50 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | NY | $50,910 | 30 |
| Rochester, NY | NY | $50,070 | 30 |
Which Industries Hire Correspondence Clerks
Most correspondence clerks are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Insurance | 1,230 | $44,400 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 960 | $46,740 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 900 | $46,530 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 600 | $44,600 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 310 | $44,550 |
| Retail Trade | 270 | $42,200 |
| Wholesale Trade | 140 | $55,850 |
| Manufacturing | 120 | $52,870 |
Below are examples of industries where correspondence clerks work:
Software Correspondence Clerks Use
- Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for correspondence clerks is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Contact With Others
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Spend Time Sitting
How to Become Correspondence Clerks
Typical correspondence clerks positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Document Management Specialists (Supplemental)
- Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners (Supplemental)
- Bill and Account Collectors (Supplemental)
- Billing and Posting Clerks (Primary-Long)
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (Primary-Short)
- Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks (Supplemental)
- Court, Municipal, and License Clerks (Supplemental)
- Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks (Primary-Long)
Sources
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 43-4021.00 (Correspondence Clerks).
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