Word Processors and Typists Salary: $52,630 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 36,030 word processors and typists nationally earn a mean of $52,630. Employment in the series shown rose about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 5.0% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Word Processors and Typists: what the data shows
Common questions about word processors and typists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a word processors and typists?
Word Processors and Typists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-9022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 36,030 workers.
What does a word processors and typists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Performing Administrative Activities, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a word processors and typists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $47,850 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $52,630 — 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 | $40,432 |
| 25th percentile | $48,094 |
| Median (50th) | $52,201 |
| 75th percentile | $57,206 |
| 90th percentile | $59,423 |
What education do you need?
For Word Processors and Typists, 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 Reading Comprehension, Writing, Active Listening, Time Management, Speaking, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Administrative, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is word processors and typists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 5.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -22.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -39.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 36,030.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do word processors and typistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 36,030 | 15.6% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 29,380 | 12.7% |
| Educational Services | 25,420 | 11.0% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 24,650 | 10.7% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 23,160 | 10.1% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 16,030 | 7.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Word Processors and Typists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Data Entry Keyers | 135,280 | $39,850 |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,510,550 | $43,630 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Word Processors and Typists workforce.
Employment Over Time
36,030 Workforce in 2023
The Word Processors and Typists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Word Processors and Typists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$52,630 Average Wage
In 2023, Word Processors and Typists earned an average of $52,630.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Word Processors and Typists.
Salary distribution for Word Processors and Typists.
Employment Growth Projections
-5.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
30,078 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -22.4%
23,330 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -39.8%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Word Processors and Typists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Word Processors and Typists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Word Processors and Typists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Word Processors and Typists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-5.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Word Processors and Typists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Word Processors and Typists.
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:
- NY: 12,870 employees, $50,810 avg wage
- CA: 9,780 employees, $51,520 avg wage
- NJ: 3,370 employees, $52,530 avg wage
- PA: 1,700 employees, $45,450 avg wage
- FL: 1,270 employees, $41,830 avg wage
- MI: 510 employees, $48,430 avg wage
- IL: 460 employees, $58,450 avg wage
- GA: 450 employees, $36,920 avg wage
- TX: 390 employees, $44,580 avg wage
- OH: 370 employees, $46,660 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Word Processors and Typists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 8,420 employees, $56,030 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 6,750 employees, $51,430 avg wage
- San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR: 1,450 employees, $33,780 avg wage
- Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY: 1,290 employees, $46,180 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 910 employees, $51,230 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 890 employees, $51,430 avg wage
- Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY: 860 employees, $46,970 avg wage
- Rochester, NY: 710 employees, $45,030 avg wage
- Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY: 650 employees, $48,130 avg wage
- Syracuse, NY: 640 employees, $44,050 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Word Processors and Typists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Word Processors and Typists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Word Processors and Typists in 2023 was 36,030 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Word Processors and Typists.
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 Word Processors and Typists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Word Processors and Typists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Word Processors and Typists in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Word Processors and Typists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Word Processors and Typists workers.
Education level distribution for Word Processors and Typists.
Skills
Word Processors and Typists need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Writing, Active Listening, Time Management, Speaking.
Required skills for Word Processors and Typists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Word Processors and Typists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Word Processors and Typists include Administrative, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics, Law and Government.
Knowledge areas required for Word Processors and Typists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Word Processors and Typists include Near Vision, Written Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression.
Required abilities for Word Processors and Typists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Word Processors and Typists.
Daily Activities
Word Processors and Typists spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Performing Administrative Activities.
Most important work activities for Word Processors and Typists.
About
Word Processors and Typists
The average yearly wage for Word Processors and Typists was $52,630 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-9022 - Word Processors and Typists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Word Processors and Typists reports an average salary of $52,630.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 36,030 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -5.0%, 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.