TL;DR

About 339,340 tellers nationally earn a mean of $47,338. Projections imply about 5.5% annual decline; much hiring sits in finance and insurance.

Key Statistics

339,340
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$47,338
Average Salary

Tellers: what the data shows

Common questions about tellers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a tellers?

Tellers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-3071.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 339,340 workers.

What does a tellers do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Working with Computers, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a tellers make?

BLS national median annual wage: $39,340 (May 2024 in our extract).

Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $47,338 — 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 percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$37,909
25th percentile$43,906
Median (50th)$46,909
75th percentile$49,126
90th percentile$57,727

What education do you need?

For Tellers, 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 Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Mathematics, Economics and Accounting. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is tellers in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 5.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: -24.5%.

Ten-year projected employment change: -43.1%.

Current U.S. headcount: 339,340.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do tellerss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry339,34019.9%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only339,00019.9%
Finance and Insurance330,26019.4%
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities326,73019.2%
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only)323,21019.0%
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities6,5000.4%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Tellers in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Tellers workforce.

Employment Over Time

339,340 Workforce in 2023

The Tellers workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Tellers.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$47,338 Average Wage

In 2023, Tellers earned an average of $47,338.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Tellers.

Salary distribution for Tellers.

Employment Growth Projections

-5.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

75,721 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -24.5%

57,132 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -43.1%

This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Tellers.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Tellers and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Tellers employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Tellers.

Wage Trends by Industry

4.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Tellers.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Tellers.

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: 26,390 employees, $37,780 avg wage
  • CA: 25,440 employees, $46,340 avg wage
  • NY: 17,420 employees, $43,810 avg wage
  • IL: 16,490 employees, $40,530 avg wage
  • PA: 15,580 employees, $39,440 avg wage
  • OH: 15,200 employees, $42,140 avg wage
  • FL: 13,190 employees, $42,590 avg wage
  • MI: 12,660 employees, $39,420 avg wage
  • NJ: 10,330 employees, $45,370 avg wage
  • IN: 9,630 employees, $39,600 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Tellers.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 17,880 employees, $46,200 avg wage
  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 9,970 employees, $43,320 avg wage
  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 8,930 employees, $45,650 avg wage
  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 6,820 employees, $38,740 avg wage
  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 6,400 employees, $42,530 avg wage
  • Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 5,510 employees, $39,020 avg wage
  • Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 4,890 employees, $40,990 avg wage
  • Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 4,510 employees, $45,420 avg wage
  • Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 4,340 employees, $45,820 avg wage
  • Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 4,170 employees, $42,830 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Tellers.

Diversity

Demographic information on Tellers in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Tellers in 2023 was 339,340 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Tellers.

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 Tellers.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Tellers.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Tellers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.

Common majors for Tellers.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Tellers workers.

Education level distribution for Tellers.

Skills

Tellers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation.

Required skills for Tellers.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Tellers.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Tellers include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Mathematics, Economics and Accounting, Public Safety and Security.

Knowledge areas required for Tellers.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Tellers include Oral Comprehension, Number Facility, Speech Recognition, Oral Expression, Speech Clarity.

Required abilities for Tellers.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Tellers.

Daily Activities

Tellers spend their time on activities such as Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Working with Computers, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards.

Most important work activities for Tellers.

About

Tellers

The average yearly wage for Tellers was $47,338 in 2023.

SOC Code

43-3071 - Tellers

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Tellers reports an average salary of $47,338.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 339,340 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -5.5%, 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.