TL;DR

About 53,020 orderlies nationally earn a mean of $55,484. Employment in the series shown rose about 14% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 7.0% annual growth.

Key Statistics

53,020
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$55,484
Average Salary

Orderlies: what the data shows

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

What is a orderlies?

Orderlies is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 31-1132.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 53,020 workers.

What does a orderlies do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a orderlies make?

BLS national median annual wage: $37,700 (May 2024 in our extract).

Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $55,484 — 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$39,008
25th percentile$46,228
Median (50th)$49,930
75th percentile$65,717
90th percentile$77,081

What education do you need?

For Orderlies, 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 Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Transportation. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is orderlies in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 7.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: 40.1%.

Ten-year projected employment change: 96.3%.

Current U.S. headcount: 53,020.

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

Where do orderliess work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Hospitals88,14024.7%
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals85,87024.1%
Cross-industry53,02014.9%
Health Care and Social Assistance49,04013.7%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only45,44012.7%
Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)7,5802.1%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Orderlies in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Orderlies workforce.

Employment Over Time

53,020 Workforce in 2023

The Orderlies workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Orderlies.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$55,484 Average Wage

In 2023, Orderlies earned an average of $55,484.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

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

Salary distribution for Orderlies.

Employment Growth Projections

7.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

27,994 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: 40.1%

39,223 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: 96.3%

This occupation is projected to grow at 7.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Orderlies.

Industry

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

Occupations by Industries

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

Industry distribution for Orderlies.

Wage Trends by Industry

17.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Orderlies.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Orderlies.

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:

  • CA: 5,140 employees, $53,950 avg wage
  • NY: 4,210 employees, $45,460 avg wage
  • FL: 3,850 employees, $35,230 avg wage
  • PA: 3,750 employees, $39,540 avg wage
  • NJ: 3,530 employees, $39,110 avg wage
  • GA: 2,570 employees, $34,890 avg wage
  • TX: 2,360 employees, $36,190 avg wage
  • OH: 2,240 employees, $36,460 avg wage
  • IL: 2,160 employees, $39,270 avg wage
  • NC: 2,040 employees, $37,820 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Orderlies.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 5,180 employees, $44,370 avg wage
  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,060 employees, $50,600 avg wage
  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,810 employees, $41,120 avg wage
  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,800 employees, $40,180 avg wage
  • Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,350 employees, $36,830 avg wage
  • Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 1,150 employees, $47,020 avg wage
  • Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 1,130 employees, $35,600 avg wage
  • Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,120 employees, $43,150 avg wage
  • Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 950 employees, $36,590 avg wage
  • Pittsburgh, PA: 810 employees, $37,460 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Orderlies.

Diversity

Demographic information on Orderlies in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Orderlies in 2023 was 53,020 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Orderlies.

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 Orderlies.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Orderlies.

Majors

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

Common majors for Orderlies.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Orderlies workers.

Education level distribution for Orderlies.

Skills

Orderlies need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination.

Required skills for Orderlies.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Orderlies.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Orderlies include Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Transportation, Education and Training.

Knowledge areas required for Orderlies.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Orderlies include Oral Comprehension, Trunk Strength, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Static Strength.

Required abilities for Orderlies.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Orderlies.

Daily Activities

Orderlies spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.

Most important work activities for Orderlies.

About

Orderlies

The average yearly wage for Orderlies was $55,484 in 2023.

SOC Code

31-1132 - Orderlies

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Orderlies reports an average salary of $55,484.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 53,020 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 7.0%, 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.