Receptionists and Information Clerks Salary: $45,949 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 964,530 receptionists and information clerks nationally earn a mean of $45,949. Employment in the series shown rose about 6% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.8% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Receptionists and Information Clerks: what the data shows
Common questions about receptionists and information clerks careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a receptionists and information clerks?
Receptionists and Information Clerks is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-4171.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 964,530 workers.
What does a receptionists and information 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, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Assisting and Caring for Others, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a receptionists and information clerks make?
BLS national median annual wage: $37,230 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $45,949 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,856 |
| 25th percentile | $38,246 |
| Median (50th) | $44,294 |
| 75th percentile | $49,115 |
| 90th percentile | $59,699 |
What education do you need?
For Receptionists and Information 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 Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is receptionists and information clerks in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.8% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -8.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -16.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 964,530.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do receptionists and information clerkss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 964,530 | 18.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 929,770 | 17.7% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 449,730 | 8.6% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 351,360 | 6.7% |
| Offices of Physicians | 164,850 | 3.1% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 109,250 | 2.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Receptionists and Information 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Airfield Operations Specialists | 16,640 | $56,750 |
| Information Security Analysts | 179,430 | $124,910 |
| Pest Control Workers | 96,110 | $44,730 |
| Intelligence Analysts | 110,790 | $93,580 |
| Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | 46,920 | $74,690 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Security Guards | 1,241,770 | $38,370 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Receptionists and Information Clerks workforce.
Employment Over Time
964,530 Workforce in 2023
The Receptionists and Information Clerks workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$45,949 Average Wage
In 2023, Receptionists and Information Clerks earned an average of $45,949.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Salary distribution for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
290,133 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -8.9%
264,426 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -16.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Receptionists and Information Clerks and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Receptionists and Information Clerks employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Receptionists and Information 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: 74,780 employees, $46,026 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 20,390 employees, $44,684 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 8,700 employees, $44,692 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 6,900 employees, $44,120 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 6,310 employees, $42,118 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 5,540 employees, $54,273 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 5,340 employees, $47,930 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 4,630 employees, $50,546 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 3,900 employees, $51,760 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 2,250 employees, $42,046 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 1,660 employees, $42,394 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Diversity
Demographic information on Receptionists and Information Clerks in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Receptionists and Information Clerks in 2023 was 964,530 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Receptionists and Information 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 Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Receptionists and Information Clerks in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Receptionists and Information Clerks workers.
Education level distribution for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Skills
Receptionists and Information Clerks need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Receptionists and Information Clerks include Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Receptionists and Information Clerks include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Receptionists and Information Clerks.
Daily Activities
Receptionists and Information 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, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Receptionists and Information Clerks.
About
Receptionists and Information Clerks
The average yearly wage for Receptionists and Information Clerks was $45,949 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-4171 - Receptionists and Information Clerks
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Receptionists and Information Clerks reports an average salary of $45,949.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 964,530 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.8%, 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.