Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks is a dynamic career path with diverse opportunities. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.

Key Statistics

23,180
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$65,389
Average Salary

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks workforce.

Employment Over Time

23,180 Workforce in 2023

The Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$65,389 Average Wage

In 2023, Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks earned an average of $65,389.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Salary distribution for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Employment Growth Projections

-0.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

90,048 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -0.5%

89,599 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -1.0%

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

Historical employment trends and future projections for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Wage Trends by Industry

10.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 20,930 employees, $65,505 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 6,130 employees, $60,431 avg wage
  • Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 2,250 employees, $59,601 avg wage
  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,980 employees, $66,226 avg wage
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,690 employees, $62,835 avg wage
  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 1,630 employees, $68,749 avg wage
  • Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,240 employees, $77,255 avg wage
  • San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,230 employees, $86,622 avg wage
  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 990 employees, $86,585 avg wage
  • Fresno MSA: 720 employees, $58,912 avg wage
  • Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 530 employees, $57,615 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Diversity

Demographic information on Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks in 2023 was 23,180 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Payroll and Timekeeping 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 Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.

Common majors for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks workers.

Education level distribution for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Skills

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Mathematics, Writing, Critical Thinking.

Required skills for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks include Administrative, Mathematics, English Language, Economics and Accounting, Personnel and Human Resources.

Knowledge areas required for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks include Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression, Near Vision, Oral Expression.

Required abilities for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

Daily Activities

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Processing Information, Getting Information, Performing Administrative Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.

Most important work activities for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

About

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

The average yearly wage for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks was $65,389 in 2023.

SOC Code

43-3051 - Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks reports an average salary of $65,389.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 23,180 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.1%, 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.