Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2005

43-4021 Correspondence Clerks

Compose letters in reply to requests for merchandise, damage claims, credit and other information, delinquent accounts, incorrect billings, or unsatisfactory services. Duties may include gathering data to formulate reply and typing correspondence.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
17,990 4.4 % $14.51 $30,180 0.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.58 $11.40 $13.66 $17.04 $20.85
Annual Wage (2) $19,930 $23,700 $28,420 $35,440 $43,370

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Insurance carriers 4,140 $14.87 $30,940
Activities related to credit intermediation 1,580 $13.93 $28,980
Nondepository credit intermediation 1,560 $14.36 $29,870
State government (OES designation) 1,440 $11.85 $24,660
Insurance agencies, brokerages, and related 960 $14.37 $29,890

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Federal government (OES designation) 190 $16.49 $34,300
Insurance and employee benefit funds 90 $15.92 $33,120
Management of companies and enterprises 720 $15.92 $33,110
Advertising and related services 70 $15.59 $32,430
Freight transportation arrangement 70 $15.59 $32,420

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all States with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
South Dakota 470 $12.04 $25,040 0.126%
Rhode Island 220 $14.46 $30,070 0.046%
Oklahoma 490 $14.16 $29,450 0.034%
Pennsylvania 1,780 $14.01 $29,140 0.032%
Massachusetts 560 $13.07 $27,180 0.018%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 110 $20.56 $42,770 0.018%
Maryland 150 $19.74 $41,050 0.006%
Washington 150 $18.69 $38,880 0.006%
Virginia 370 $18.15 $37,760 0.010%
Georgia 610 $17.05 $35,460 0.016%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all Metropolitan areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Sioux Falls, SD 290 $12.65 $26,310 0.234%
Scranton—Wilkes-Barre, PA 440 $11.73 $24,400 0.173%
Rapid City, SD 40 $11.24 $23,370 0.069%
Kansas City, MO-KS 630 $13.67 $28,430 0.065%
Springfield, MO 100 $12.19 $25,360 0.055%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 310 $20.61 $42,880 0.014%
Tacoma, WA Metropolitan Division 40 $19.72 $41,020 0.016%
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 40 $18.89 $39,290 0.006%
Richmond, VA 60 $18.48 $38,450 0.010%
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 60 $18.40 $38,270 0.005%

About May 2005 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files (XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2005 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2005 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2005 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2005 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2005 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 24, 2006