Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

43-9061 Office Clerks, General

Perform duties too varied and diverse to be classified in any specific office clerical occupation, requiring limited knowledge of office management systems and procedures. Clerical duties may be assigned in accordance with the office procedures of individual establishments and may include a combination of answering telephones, bookkeeping, typing or word processing, stenography, office machine operation, and filing.

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)
2,970,660 0.5 % $11.62 $24,170 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $6.99 $8.70 $10.95 $13.92 $17.22
Annual Wage (2) $14,530 $18,090 $22,770 $28,950 $35,810

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Local government (OES designation) 201,610 $12.79 $26,600
Employment services 178,490 $10.57 $21,980
Colleges and universities 141,950 $11.76 $24,470
State government (OES designation) 123,350 $12.50 $26,010
Elementary and secondary schools 117,910 $11.79 $24,520

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Postal service 3,940 $19.63 $40,840
Natural gas distribution 2,390 $17.58 $36,580
Wired telecommunications carriers 11,730 $17.33 $36,040
Rail transportation 9,710 $16.71 $34,760
Motor vehicle manufacturing 780 $16.58 $34,490

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Delaware 14,260 $11.92 $24,790 3.493%
Missouri 82,360 $10.95 $22,790 3.131%
Hawaii 16,190 $11.06 $23,000 2.866%
Virginia 98,290 $12.38 $25,750 2.847%
Minnesota 73,540 $12.35 $25,690 2.826%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Alaska 7,480 $14.23 $29,610 2.552%
Massachusetts 60,130 $13.82 $28,750 1.924%
Connecticut 33,150 $13.46 $28,010 2.030%
District of Columbia 14,650 $13.25 $27,570 2.429%
Washington 59,640 $12.86 $26,750 2.309%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

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

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Yolo, CA PMSA 6,370 $13.71 $28,510 6.711%
Bryan-College Station, TX MSA 4,130 $8.94 $18,580 5.431%
Gainesville, FL MSA 5,060 $11.41 $23,730 4.178%
Wilmington-Newark, DE-MD PMSA 11,860 $11.93 $24,810 3.863%
St. Joseph, MO MSA 1,750 $10.27 $21,370 3.822%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Jose, CA PMSA 20,700 $14.85 $30,880 2.437%
Anchorage, AK MSA 3,980 $14.38 $29,920 2.853%
Boston, MA-NH PMSA 35,540 $14.31 $29,760 1.867%
Oakland, CA PMSA 24,810 $14.08 $29,280 2.468%
Lowell, MA-NH PMSA 2,250 $14.00 $29,120 1.851%

About May 2004 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.

All Office and Administrative Support Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005