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Office Clerks, General: Career Profile
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.
What Tasks Do Office Clerks, General Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of office clerks, general include:
- 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.
Skills and Knowledge
Top office clerks, general rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Administration Clerk
- Administrative Clerk (Admin Clerk)
- Administrative Support Specialist
- Administrative Technician (Admin Tech)
- Agent-Licensing Clerk
- Animal Hospital Clerk
- Animal Shelter Clerk
- Attendance Clerk
Job Outlook
There are roughly 502,080 office clerks, general working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +10.1% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Office Clerks, General Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $62,233 |
| Hourly median | $29.92 |
| 10th percentile | $36,029 |
| 25th percentile | $49,131 |
| 75th percentile | $75,334 |
| 90th percentile | $88,436 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Colorado | $56,150 |
| District of Columbia | $53,110 |
| Alaska | $51,400 |
| Washington | $49,920 |
| North Dakota | $48,900 |
| Massachusetts | $48,890 |
| New Hampshire | $48,510 |
| Oregon | $48,360 |
| New Jersey | $47,980 |
| California | $47,920 |
| Vermont | $47,140 |
| Minnesota | $47,030 |
| Rhode Island | $46,620 |
| Connecticut | $46,490 |
| Maryland | $46,370 |
| Arizona | $46,290 |
| Virginia | $45,130 |
| New York | $44,620 |
| Montana | $44,100 |
| Michigan | $43,950 |
| Illinois | $43,830 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,600 |
| Maine | $43,500 |
| Wisconsin | $43,480 |
| Indiana | $43,420 |
| Nevada | $43,390 |
| Ohio | $43,230 |
| Florida | $42,720 |
| Idaho | $42,570 |
| Wyoming | $42,210 |
| Iowa | $42,200 |
| Hawaii | $41,690 |
| Delaware | $41,600 |
| Utah | $41,530 |
| Missouri | $40,350 |
| Georgia | $39,440 |
| North Carolina | $39,370 |
| Texas | $37,500 |
| Tennessee | $37,170 |
| South Carolina | $36,980 |
| Nebraska | $36,890 |
| South Dakota | $36,850 |
| Oklahoma | $36,520 |
| Arkansas | $36,480 |
| New Mexico | $36,310 |
| Virgin Islands | $36,120 |
| Kentucky | $36,010 |
| West Virginia | $34,150 |
| Mississippi | $32,480 |
| Kansas | $31,170 |
| Alabama | $30,440 |
| Louisiana | $30,180 |
| Guam | $25,730 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,140 |
Where Office Clerks, General Earn the Most
Earnings for office clerks, general vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $47,803 | 16.5% | 1.00 |
| New England | $47,514 | 4.5% | 0.97 |
| Rocky Mountains | $46,157 | 4.3% | 1.22 |
| Middle Atlantic | $45,175 | 14.4% | 0.98 |
| Great Lakes | $43,610 | 15.8% | 1.12 |
| Plains States | $42,972 | 6.4% | 1.10 |
| Southeast | $39,291 | 25.3% | 1.07 |
| Southwest | $38,895 | 11.8% | 0.95 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Office Clerks, General
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder, CO | CO | $60,320 | 2,080 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $58,920 | 14,430 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $56,330 | 14,040 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $55,790 | 35,750 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $53,780 | 3,810 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $53,640 | 25,540 |
| Greeley, CO | CO | $53,320 | 1,710 |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | AK | $53,180 | 350 |
Which Industries Hire Office Clerks, General
The largest employers of office clerks, general work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 304,860 | $39,330 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 289,710 | $42,680 |
| Construction | 259,930 | $45,840 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 206,480 | $41,300 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 197,040 | $44,300 |
| Retail Trade | 156,950 | $38,240 |
| Wholesale Trade | 132,290 | $44,610 |
| Manufacturing | 130,140 | $46,000 |
Below are examples of industries where office clerks, general work:
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Google Workspace software (hot technology)
- Medical software: Henry Schein Dentrix (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (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)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of office clerks, general is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How to Become Office Clerks, General
Most office clerks, general positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Document Management Specialists (Supplemental)
- Medical Records Specialists (Supplemental)
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers (Primary-Long)
- Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service (Primary-Long)
- Billing and Posting Clerks (Primary-Long)
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (Supplemental)
- Brokerage Clerks (Supplemental)
Sources
Data on this page comes from 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: 43-9061.00 (Office Clerks, General).
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