Court, Municipal, and License Clerks Salary: $47,700 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 170,010 court, municipal, and license clerks work nationally, and $47,700 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 8.2% annual growth; much hiring sits in federal, state, and local government, excluding state and local government schools and hospitals and the u.s. postal service (oews designation).
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks: what the data shows
Common questions about court, municipal, and license clerks careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a court, municipal, and license clerks?
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-4031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 170,010 workers.
What does a court, municipal, and license clerks do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Processing Information, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a court, municipal, and license clerks make?
BLS national median annual wage: $47,700 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $67,564 — 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 | $47,696 |
| 25th percentile | $55,204 |
| Median (50th) | $63,734 |
| 75th percentile | $76,258 |
| 90th percentile | $85,564 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, Writing, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, Law and Government, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is court, municipal, and license clerks in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 8.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 48.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 120.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 170,010.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do court, municipal, and license clerkss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 170,010 | 16.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 167,350 | 16.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 167,350 | 16.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 167,350 | 16.5% |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 122,920 | 12.1% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 122,910 | 12.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners | 12,630 | $67,310 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Court, Municipal, and License Clerks workforce.
Employment Over Time
170,010 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks grew from 15,440 in 2009 to 54,580 in 2025 (253.5%).
Historical employment for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$47,700 Median pay (BLS national)
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks earn $47,700 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Salary distribution for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Employment Growth Projections
8.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
80,984 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 48.4%
120,164 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 120.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 8.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Court, Municipal, and License Clerks and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Court, Municipal, and License Clerks employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Court, Municipal, and License 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: 14,030 employees, $45,670 avg wage
- CA: 13,630 employees, $66,140 avg wage
- NY: 11,580 employees, $60,640 avg wage
- FL: 9,710 employees, $48,990 avg wage
- OH: 9,590 employees, $48,550 avg wage
- CO: 7,390 employees, $51,790 avg wage
- IL: 6,570 employees, $50,650 avg wage
- MI: 6,190 employees, $48,140 avg wage
- MN: 6,030 employees, $57,790 avg wage
- NJ: 5,550 employees, $54,530 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 9,090 employees, $64,480 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 3,790 employees, $52,050 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 3,450 employees, $59,110 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 3,360 employees, $52,530 avg wage
- Cleveland, OH: 2,950 employees, $49,570 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,820 employees, $48,110 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,610 employees, $65,290 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,580 employees, $56,950 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,560 employees, $48,150 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 2,550 employees, $51,230 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Diversity
Demographic information on Court, Municipal, and License Clerks in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks is about 170,010 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Court, Municipal, and License 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 Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Court, Municipal, and License Clerks in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Court, Municipal, and License Clerks workers.
Education level distribution for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Skills
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Writing, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks include Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, Law and Government, English Language, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Near Vision, Written Comprehension, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
Daily Activities
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Processing Information.
Most important work activities for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks.
About
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks earn $47,700 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
43-4031 - Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Court, Municipal, and License Clerks reports an average salary of $67,564.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 170,010 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 8.2%, 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.