File Clerks Salary: $51,026 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 78,980 file clerks nationally earn a mean of $51,026. Employment in the series shown fell about 11% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 6.3% annual decline.
Key Statistics
File Clerks: what the data shows
Common questions about file clerks careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a file clerks?
File Clerks is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-4071.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 78,980 workers.
What does a file clerks do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Processing Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a file clerks make?
BLS national median annual wage: $41,270 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $51,026 — 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 | $36,408 |
| 25th percentile | $38,686 |
| Median (50th) | $47,930 |
| 75th percentile | $60,046 |
| 90th percentile | $71,569 |
What education do you need?
For File 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 Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Monitoring, Time Management, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Administrative, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is file clerks in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -27.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -48.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 78,980.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do file clerkss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 78,980 | 18.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 57,540 | 13.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 21,450 | 4.9% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 17,020 | 3.9% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 16,290 | 3.8% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 16,290 | 3.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for File Clerks in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the File Clerks workforce.
Employment Over Time
78,980 Workforce in 2023
The File Clerks workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for File Clerks.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$51,026 Average Wage
In 2023, File Clerks earned an average of $51,026.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for File Clerks.
Salary distribution for File Clerks.
Employment Growth Projections
-6.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
27,773 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -27.9%
20,024 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -48.0%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for File Clerks.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ File Clerks and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of File Clerks employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for File Clerks.
Wage Trends by Industry
-1.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for File Clerks.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for File 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: 12,820 employees, $39,360 avg wage
- CA: 9,740 employees, $49,950 avg wage
- FL: 6,350 employees, $42,900 avg wage
- NY: 4,450 employees, $45,200 avg wage
- IL: 3,740 employees, $48,920 avg wage
- TN: 2,750 employees, $43,200 avg wage
- NJ: 2,690 employees, $46,050 avg wage
- PA: 2,570 employees, $43,800 avg wage
- NC: 2,210 employees, $43,020 avg wage
- AZ: 2,110 employees, $44,160 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for File Clerks.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 5,150 employees, $46,750 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 3,970 employees, $41,780 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 3,380 employees, $48,270 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,620 employees, $40,340 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,580 employees, $51,050 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 1,460 employees, $45,210 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 1,420 employees, $48,630 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,320 employees, $44,890 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,230 employees, $53,970 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,180 employees, $44,070 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for File Clerks.
Diversity
Demographic information on File Clerks in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of File Clerks in 2023 was 78,980 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for File 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 File Clerks.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for File Clerks.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by File Clerks in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for File Clerks.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by File Clerks workers.
Education level distribution for File Clerks.
Skills
File Clerks need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Monitoring, Time Management.
Required skills for File Clerks.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for File Clerks.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for File Clerks include Administrative, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for File Clerks.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for File Clerks include Information Ordering, Category Flexibility, Written Comprehension, Near Vision, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for File Clerks.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by File Clerks.
Daily Activities
File Clerks spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for File Clerks.
About
File Clerks
The average yearly wage for File Clerks was $51,026 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-4071 - File Clerks
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: File Clerks reports an average salary of $51,026.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 78,980 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -6.3%, 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.