Data Entry Keyers
Data Entry Keyers (SOC 43-9021) earn a median $41,340 a year ($19.88 an hour) in the United States, with 127,080 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is District of Columbia.
What data entry keyers do
Data entry keyers operate data entry devices, such as a keyboard or a photo composing perforator, to put information into a form that a computer or printing process can use. Before entry, they compile, sort, and verify the accuracy of the data, and after entry they compare it with source documents or re-enter it in a verification format to detect errors. They find and fix keying errors, or tell supervisors about them, select the materials needed to complete a work assignment, and store completed documents in the appropriate locations. Some also verify data and prepare materials for printing. Alternate titles reflect older and newer equipment alike: card punching machine operator, check processor, Braille typist, cold type composing machine operator, and claims support specialist. The occupation excludes word processors and typists, who type letters, reports, and other material from drafts or recordings and are classified in their own group. Keyers are distinguished by working from existing records and checking each entry for accuracy.
Typical entry: O*NET survey respondents most often report a high school diploma or equivalent as the education level for this occupation.
Also called: Adjusto-Writer Operator, Automatic Operator, Braille Operator, Braille Transcriber, Braille Typist.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $17.19 | $19.88 | $23.27 | $28.26 | $20.82 | 127,080 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $35,760 | $41,340 | $48,410 | $58,790 | $43,310 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where data entry keyers earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| District of Columbia | Hourly | $23.52 | $24.48 | $26.53 | $30.82 | $35.14 | $28.01 | 200 | 0.29 | 0.35 |
| Annual | $48,930 | $50,910 | $55,170 | $64,100 | $73,090 | $58,250 | ||||
| New Mexico | Hourly | $17.30 | $19.96 | $23.95 | $25.66 | $25.68 | $22.95 | 300 | 0.35 | 0.43 |
| Annual | $35,990 | $41,510 | $49,810 | $53,370 | $53,410 | $47,740 | ||||
| North Dakota | Hourly | $16.19 | $17.64 | $23.22 | $25.55 | $30.92 | $22.15 | 110 | 0.25 | 0.30 |
| Annual | $33,670 | $36,680 | $48,300 | $53,140 | $64,310 | $46,080 | ||||
| Maine | Hourly | $19.69 | $21.70 | $23.17 | $24.77 | $28.05 | $23.68 | 140 | 0.21 | 0.26 |
| Annual | $40,960 | $45,140 | $48,190 | $51,510 | $58,340 | $49,260 | ||||
| Hawaii | Hourly | $17.67 | $19.34 | $22.90 | $23.76 | $25.75 | $22.04 | 210 | 0.33 | 0.40 |
| Annual | $36,750 | $40,220 | $47,630 | $49,420 | $53,550 | $45,840 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | $13.47 | $15.51 | $18.69 | $22.50 | $27.36 | $19.62 | 17,850 | 1.27 | 1.55 |
| Annual | $28,020 | $32,250 | $38,880 | $46,800 | $56,920 | $40,800 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $18.03 | $20.12 | $22.60 | $26.21 | $29.58 | $23.47 | 14,520 | 0.80 | 0.98 |
| Annual | $37,490 | $41,850 | $47,010 | $54,510 | $61,520 | $48,820 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $16.41 | $18.21 | $21.57 | $24.74 | $29.42 | $22.38 | 9,470 | 0.98 | 1.20 |
| Annual | $34,130 | $37,890 | $44,860 | $51,460 | $61,200 | $46,550 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | $15.10 | $17.14 | $18.69 | $21.96 | $24.64 | $19.75 | 7,650 | 0.77 | 0.94 |
| Annual | $31,400 | $35,650 | $38,880 | $45,690 | $51,250 | $41,070 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.08 | $20.60 | $23.17 | $28.81 | $21.41 | 5,910 | 0.97 | 1.18 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,610 | $42,840 | $48,200 | $59,920 | $44,540 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | $21.00 | $22.30 | $26.21 | $27.53 | $33.90 | $26.38 | 720 | 0.63 | 0.77 |
| Annual | $43,680 | $46,380 | $54,510 | $57,260 | $70,520 | $54,880 | ||||
| Albuquerque, NM | Hourly | $18.84 | $20.52 | $25.64 | $25.68 | $25.68 | $23.88 | 220 | 0.55 | 0.67 |
| Annual | $39,200 | $42,680 | $53,320 | $53,410 | $53,410 | $49,670 | ||||
| Bismarck, ND | Hourly | $16.28 | $17.64 | $25.55 | $25.55 | $31.11 | $23.41 | 30 | 0.47 | 0.57 |
| Annual | $33,870 | $36,680 | $53,140 | $53,140 | $64,710 | $48,700 | ||||
| Bloomington, IN | Hourly | $19.47 | $19.47 | $24.88 | $24.88 | $31.00 | $22.89 | 230 | 3.16 | 3.87 |
| Annual | $40,500 | $40,500 | $51,760 | $51,760 | $64,490 | $47,610 | ||||
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | Hourly | $19.05 | $19.05 | $24.84 | $28.85 | $29.93 | $24.73 | 140 | 1.07 | 1.31 |
| Annual | $39,630 | $39,630 | $51,660 | $60,010 | $62,250 | $51,440 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $16.28 | $18.25 | $21.81 | $25.54 | $30.07 | $22.70 | 10,110 | 1.07 | 1.30 |
| Annual | $33,870 | $37,960 | $45,350 | $53,130 | $62,550 | $47,210 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $18.42 | $20.18 | $22.61 | $27.92 | $30.72 | $23.89 | 5,900 | 0.94 | 1.15 |
| Annual | $38,320 | $41,970 | $47,040 | $58,070 | $63,890 | $49,690 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $15.27 | $17.51 | $20.73 | $23.75 | $28.78 | $21.12 | 5,610 | 1.39 | 1.70 |
| Annual | $31,750 | $36,420 | $43,110 | $49,390 | $59,860 | $43,930 | ||||
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Hourly | $13.19 | $15.87 | $19.00 | $22.68 | $28.32 | $19.94 | 4,430 | 1.35 | 1.65 |
| Annual | $27,440 | $33,000 | $39,520 | $47,170 | $58,900 | $41,470 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.27 | $21.47 | $23.50 | $29.64 | $21.92 | 4,270 | 0.95 | 1.16 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $38,000 | $44,650 | $48,880 | $61,660 | $45,580 | ||||
Top industries employing data entry keyers
Employment Services employ 9.4% of data entry keyers nationally (11,940 jobs) at a median $38,640 a year ($18.58 an hour), followed by Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (5.1%) and Computer Systems Design and Related Services (4.8%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Services NAICS 561300 | 11,940 | 9.4% | $38,640 | $18.58 |
| Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services NAICS 541200 | 6,530 | 5.1% | $37,440 | $18.00 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services NAICS 541500 | 6,110 | 4.8% | $41,130 | $19.77 |
| Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services NAICS 518200 | 5,260 | 4.1% | $35,340 | $16.99 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services NAICS 541600 | 5,260 | 4.1% | $41,710 | $20.06 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (127,080). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $35,630 for data entry keyers in May 2021 and $41,340 in May 2025, with employment of 147,170 and 127,080.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $35,630 | $17.13 | 147,170 |
| May 2022 | $36,190 | $17.40 | 157,380 |
| May 2023 | $37,790 | $18.17 | 154,230 |
| May 2024 | $39,850 | $19.16 | 135,280 |
| May 2025 | $41,340 | $19.88 | 127,080 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
51 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia profile | $26.53 | $55,170 | $48,930 | $73,090 | 200 | 0.29 | 0.35 |
| 2 | New Mexico profile | $23.95 | $49,810 | $35,990 | $53,410 | 300 | 0.35 | 0.43 |
| 3 | North Dakota profile | $23.22 | $48,300 | $33,670 | $64,310 | 110 | 0.25 | 0.30 |
| 4 | Maine profile | $23.17 | $48,190 | $40,960 | $58,340 | 140 | 0.21 | 0.26 |
| 5 | Hawaii profile | $22.90 | $47,630 | $36,750 | $53,550 | 210 | 0.33 | 0.40 |
| 6 | Massachusetts profile | $22.87 | $47,560 | $35,250 | $58,280 | 1,590 | 0.44 | 0.54 |
| 7 | Washington profile | $22.83 | $47,480 | $38,070 | $63,790 | 1,360 | 0.38 | 0.47 |
| 8 | Utah profile | $22.68 | $47,180 | $31,220 | $69,430 | 2,140 | 1.23 | 1.51 |
| 9 | California profile | $22.60 | $47,010 | $37,490 | $61,520 | 14,520 | 0.80 | 0.98 |
| 10 | Wyoming profile | $22.06 | $45,870 | $31,720 | $56,430 | 140 | 0.51 | 0.63 |
| 11 | Rhode Island profile | $21.63 | $44,980 | $37,280 | $63,190 | 270 | 0.54 | 0.66 |
| 12 | New York profile | $21.57 | $44,860 | $34,130 | $61,200 | 9,470 | 0.98 | 1.20 |
| 13 | Minnesota profile | $21.29 | $44,280 | $35,200 | $71,820 | 1,360 | 0.46 | 0.57 |
| 14 | Colorado profile | $21.11 | $43,910 | $33,920 | $61,070 | 1,190 | 0.41 | 0.51 |
| 15 | Iowa profile | $20.98 | $43,640 | $32,210 | $57,920 | 1,180 | 0.76 | 0.93 |
| 16 | New Hampshire profile | $20.88 | $43,440 | $34,610 | $54,990 | 790 | 1.16 | 1.42 |
| 17 | Vermont profile | $20.81 | $43,280 | $39,070 | $54,040 | 290 | 0.94 | 1.15 |
| 18 | Arizona profile | $20.77 | $43,200 | $33,860 | $54,900 | 3,420 | 1.05 | 1.29 |
| 19 | Illinois profile | $20.60 | $42,840 | $31,200 | $59,920 | 5,910 | 0.97 | 1.18 |
| 20 | Idaho profile | $20.58 | $42,810 | $29,990 | $59,460 | 540 | 0.63 | 0.77 |
| 21 | New Jersey profile | $20.42 | $42,470 | $32,410 | $61,990 | 4,940 | 1.15 | 1.41 |
| 22 | Montana profile | $20.35 | $42,340 | $34,510 | $51,140 | 300 | 0.59 | 0.72 |
| 23 | Georgia profile | $19.84 | $41,270 | $31,750 | $58,480 | 3,410 | 0.70 | 0.85 |
| 24 | Alaska profile | $19.57 | $40,700 | $35,180 | $68,550 | 160 | 0.50 | 0.61 |
| 25 | Indiana profile | $19.50 | $40,550 | $31,460 | $55,040 | 2,370 | 0.74 | 0.91 |
| 26 | Tennessee profile | $19.47 | $40,490 | $29,940 | $57,310 | 2,360 | 0.72 | 0.88 |
| 27 | Ohio profile | $19.34 | $40,220 | $29,220 | $54,990 | 4,530 | 0.82 | 1.00 |
| 28 | North Carolina profile | $19.04 | $39,610 | $31,780 | $52,620 | 3,330 | 0.67 | 0.82 |
| 29 | Nebraska profile | $19.04 | $39,600 | $28,080 | $49,230 | 1,260 | 1.23 | 1.51 |
| 30 | Nevada profile | $18.88 | $39,260 | $30,160 | $54,930 | 800 | 0.52 | 0.63 |
| 31 | Maryland profile | $18.74 | $38,970 | $31,200 | $56,490 | 1,850 | 0.67 | 0.82 |
| 32 | Virginia profile | $18.70 | $38,900 | $28,010 | $54,670 | 2,890 | 0.70 | 0.86 |
| 33 | Florida profile | $18.69 | $38,880 | $31,400 | $51,250 | 7,650 | 0.77 | 0.94 |
| 34 | Texas profile | $18.69 | $38,880 | $28,020 | $56,920 | 17,850 | 1.27 | 1.55 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania profile | $18.66 | $38,810 | $29,740 | $51,710 | 5,270 | 0.87 | 1.06 |
| 36 | Oklahoma profile | $18.55 | $38,590 | $29,640 | $51,620 | 1,290 | 0.76 | 0.92 |
| 37 | Connecticut profile | $18.54 | $38,560 | $34,010 | $58,190 | 1,290 | 0.76 | 0.93 |
| 38 | Kansas profile | $18.41 | $38,290 | $28,090 | $45,760 | 1,210 | 0.84 | 1.03 |
| 39 | Wisconsin profile | $18.35 | $38,170 | $27,940 | $51,180 | 2,360 | 0.80 | 0.98 |
| 40 | Michigan profile | $18.31 | $38,080 | $33,370 | $52,100 | 3,290 | 0.75 | 0.91 |
| 41 | South Carolina profile | $18.30 | $38,070 | $28,920 | $51,890 | 1,490 | 0.65 | 0.79 |
| 42 | Delaware profile | $18.18 | $37,810 | $31,400 | $56,100 | 410 | 0.84 | 1.03 |
| 43 | Louisiana profile | $17.75 | $36,920 | $23,420 | $54,160 | 1,800 | 0.93 | 1.14 |
| 44 | Kentucky profile | $17.72 | $36,870 | $29,280 | $50,910 | 2,020 | 1.01 | 1.23 |
| 45 | West Virginia profile | $17.26 | $35,900 | $27,250 | $47,740 | 660 | 0.94 | 1.15 |
| 46 | Alabama profile | $16.89 | $35,130 | $29,330 | $47,210 | 1,060 | 0.50 | 0.61 |
| 47 | Mississippi profile | $16.61 | $34,540 | $26,350 | $48,870 | 530 | 0.45 | 0.55 |
| 48 | South Dakota profile | $16.50 | $34,320 | $31,300 | $39,630 | 30 | 0.07 | 0.09 |
| 49 | Arkansas profile | $16.28 | $33,860 | $29,140 | $49,950 | 1,000 | 0.77 | 0.94 |
| – | Missouri profile | * | * | * | * | 2,720 | 0.93 | 1.13 |
| – | Oregon profile | * | * | * | * | 1,840 | 0.94 | 1.15 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (43-9020), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Office and Administrative Support Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 43-9021 Data Entry Keyers.
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 43-9021, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 43-9021.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.