Correspondence Clerks Salary: $59,310 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 6,260 correspondence clerks nationally earn a mean of $59,310. Projections imply about 3.8% annual decline; much hiring sits in finance and insurance.
Key Statistics
Correspondence Clerks: what the data shows
Common questions about correspondence clerks careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a correspondence clerks?
Correspondence Clerks is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-4021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 6,260 workers.
What does a correspondence clerks do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Performing Administrative Activities, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a correspondence clerks make?
BLS national median annual wage: $46,740 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $59,310 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,765 |
| 25th percentile | $42,986 |
| Median (50th) | $54,203 |
| 75th percentile | $70,496 |
| 90th percentile | $87,372 |
What education do you need?
For Correspondence Clerks, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Administrative, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Economics and Accounting. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is correspondence clerks in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.8% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -17.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -32.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 6,260.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do correspondence clerkss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 6,260 | 25.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 5,850 | 23.6% |
| Finance and Insurance | 1,230 | 5.0% |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 960 | 3.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 900 | 3.6% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 900 | 3.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Correspondence Clerks in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Correspondence Clerks workforce.
Employment Over Time
6,260 Workforce in 2023
The Correspondence Clerks workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Correspondence Clerks.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$59,310 Average Wage
In 2023, Correspondence Clerks earned an average of $59,310.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Correspondence Clerks.
Salary distribution for Correspondence Clerks.
Employment Growth Projections
-3.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
987 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -17.7%
812 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -32.3%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Correspondence Clerks.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Correspondence Clerks and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Correspondence Clerks employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Correspondence Clerks.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 2.7% growth (Current: $78,819)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Correspondence Clerks.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Correspondence Clerks.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 1,540 employees, $47,910 avg wage
- NY: 600 employees, $51,190 avg wage
- CA: 340 employees, $58,060 avg wage
- SC: 200 employees, $42,390 avg wage
- PA: 180 employees, $47,920 avg wage
- GA: 170 employees, N/A avg wage
- FL: 150 employees, $43,980 avg wage
- TN: 120 employees, $39,180 avg wage
- IN: 110 employees, $45,690 avg wage
- MI: 110 employees, N/A avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Correspondence Clerks.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 510 employees, $47,840 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 390 employees, $52,530 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 320 employees, $48,300 avg wage
- San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX: 200 employees, $46,780 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 160 employees, $59,720 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 80 employees, N/A avg wage
- Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC: 70 employees, $41,100 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 70 employees, $53,510 avg wage
- Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY: 60 employees, $47,140 avg wage
- Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA: 60 employees, N/A avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Correspondence Clerks.
Diversity
Demographic information on Correspondence Clerks in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Correspondence Clerks in 2023 was 6,260 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Correspondence Clerks.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Correspondence Clerks.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Correspondence Clerks.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Correspondence Clerks in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Correspondence Clerks.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Correspondence Clerks workers.
Education level distribution for Correspondence Clerks.
Skills
Correspondence Clerks need many skills, but most especially Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Correspondence Clerks.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Correspondence Clerks.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Correspondence Clerks include Administrative, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Economics and Accounting, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Correspondence Clerks.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Correspondence Clerks include Written Expression, Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Correspondence Clerks.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Correspondence Clerks.
Daily Activities
Correspondence Clerks spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Performing Administrative Activities, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.
Most important work activities for Correspondence Clerks.
About
Correspondence Clerks
The average yearly wage for Correspondence Clerks was $59,310 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-4021 - Correspondence Clerks
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Correspondence Clerks reports an average salary of $59,310.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 6,260 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.