Order Clerks
Order Clerks (SOC 43-4151) earn a median $46,170 a year ($22.20 an hour) in the United States, with 75,200 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Massachusetts.
What order clerks do
Order clerks handle incoming orders for materials, merchandise, classified ads, or services, for example repairs, installation work, or facility rental. Orders generally arrive by mail, phone, fax, or other electronic means. The clerk obtains the customer's name, address, billing information, product numbers, and specifications, and enters them on an order form. Orders are checked for completeness, and incomplete ones are forwarded for further processing. The clerk verifies customer and order details against earlier information, checks inventory records to see whether the merchandise is available, and computes the total charges, including shipping. Customers are told about receipt of the order, prices, shipping dates, and delays, and clerks may recommend merchandise or services that fit a customer's needs, prepare contracts, handle complaints, and inspect outgoing work against the customer's specifications. Dispatchers who both dispatch and take orders for services are excluded and classified separately, and sales representatives do different work.
Typical entry: O*NET survey respondents most often report a high school diploma or equivalent as the education level for this occupation.
Also called: Ad Taker (Advertising Taker), Advertising Clerk (Ad Clerk), Advertising Space Clerk (Ad Space Clerk), Back Order Clerk, Blood Bank Credit Clerk.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $17.08 | $19.07 | $22.20 | $26.11 | $30.54 | $23.19 | 75,200 |
| Annual | $35,530 | $39,660 | $46,170 | $54,310 | $63,530 | $48,220 | ||
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 order clerks 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 | ||||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $22.00 | $23.14 | $26.46 | $30.48 | $35.06 | $27.37 | 1,350 | 0.37 | 0.77 |
| Annual | $45,750 | $48,140 | $55,040 | $63,390 | $72,920 | $56,920 | ||||
| Oregon | Hourly | $19.21 | $20.80 | $24.17 | $28.46 | $34.64 | $25.16 | 790 | 0.40 | 0.83 |
| Annual | $39,960 | $43,260 | $50,260 | $59,190 | $72,040 | $52,330 | ||||
| Vermont | Hourly | $19.11 | $22.55 | $24.02 | $27.22 | $29.34 | $24.40 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $39,750 | $46,900 | $49,950 | $56,620 | $61,030 | $50,750 | ||||
| Colorado | Hourly | $18.20 | $19.78 | $23.81 | $28.21 | $30.76 | $24.35 | 1,970 | 0.69 | 1.42 |
| Annual | $37,850 | $41,150 | $49,530 | $58,680 | $63,980 | $50,650 | ||||
| Rhode Island | Hourly | $21.72 | $22.43 | $23.75 | $25.29 | $27.92 | $24.16 | 170 | 0.34 | 0.70 |
| Annual | $45,180 | $46,640 | $49,410 | $52,590 | $58,080 | $50,260 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $17.87 | $19.57 | $22.74 | $27.41 | $32.01 | $24.40 | 12,390 | 0.68 | 1.41 |
| Annual | $37,170 | $40,710 | $47,290 | $57,010 | $66,580 | $50,760 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $15.98 | $18.00 | $21.29 | $25.00 | $29.66 | $22.12 | 5,180 | 0.37 | 0.76 |
| Annual | $33,230 | $37,440 | $44,280 | $52,000 | $61,690 | $46,020 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $20.54 | $21.67 | $23.07 | $30.51 | $31.92 | $25.39 | 4,300 | 1.21 | 2.51 |
| Annual | $42,710 | $45,070 | $47,990 | $63,450 | $66,400 | $52,810 | ||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $16.00 | $18.65 | $22.17 | $25.44 | $30.39 | $22.77 | 3,810 | 0.69 | 1.42 |
| Annual | $33,280 | $38,790 | $46,120 | $52,910 | $63,200 | $47,350 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $17.31 | $20.48 | $22.92 | $24.72 | $29.15 | $23.26 | 3,540 | 0.58 | 1.20 |
| Annual | $36,000 | $42,590 | $47,670 | $51,410 | $60,630 | $48,390 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Napa, CA | Hourly | $20.46 | $22.20 | $29.17 | $29.90 | $35.28 | $27.37 | 40 | 0.46 | 0.95 |
| Annual | $42,560 | $46,180 | $60,680 | $62,180 | $73,380 | $56,930 | ||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | $21.02 | $22.90 | $27.97 | $30.84 | $39.02 | $28.61 | 620 | 0.55 | 1.13 |
| Annual | $43,710 | $47,630 | $58,170 | $64,140 | $81,150 | $59,500 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | $22.44 | $23.59 | $26.49 | $30.83 | $35.06 | $27.80 | 1,100 | 0.41 | 0.84 |
| Annual | $46,670 | $49,070 | $55,090 | $64,120 | $72,920 | $57,820 | ||||
| Bend, OR | Hourly | $19.05 | $23.11 | $25.77 | $32.05 | $36.18 | $26.89 | 30 | 0.30 | 0.61 |
| Annual | $39,620 | $48,070 | $53,610 | $66,670 | $75,250 | $55,920 | ||||
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | Hourly | $16.20 | $20.06 | $25.62 | $38.96 | $38.96 | $28.08 | 100 | 0.40 | 0.82 |
| Annual | $33,690 | $41,730 | $53,290 | $81,030 | $81,030 | $58,400 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $17.87 | $18.82 | $22.40 | $26.72 | $31.44 | $23.83 | 5,740 | 0.92 | 1.89 |
| Annual | $37,170 | $39,150 | $46,590 | $55,570 | $65,390 | $49,570 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $16.59 | $20.86 | $22.99 | $27.63 | $35.30 | $24.76 | 4,120 | 0.43 | 0.90 |
| Annual | $34,510 | $43,390 | $47,820 | $57,470 | $73,420 | $51,510 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $17.32 | $21.27 | $23.02 | $25.33 | $30.00 | $23.70 | 2,970 | 0.66 | 1.36 |
| Annual | $36,030 | $44,240 | $47,890 | $52,680 | $62,400 | $49,290 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $17.19 | $18.80 | $21.92 | $24.75 | $30.02 | $22.78 | 1,890 | 0.47 | 0.97 |
| Annual | $35,750 | $39,110 | $45,590 | $51,470 | $62,440 | $47,370 | ||||
| Oklahoma City, OK | Hourly | $22.02 | $22.04 | $22.04 | $22.04 | $22.76 | $22.13 | 1,720 | 2.54 | 5.25 |
| Annual | $45,800 | $45,850 | $45,850 | $45,850 | $47,350 | $46,030 | ||||
Top industries employing order clerks
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) employ 9.2% of order clerks nationally (6,920 jobs) at a median $48,400 a year ($23.27 an hour), followed by Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) (8.5%) and Warehousing and Storage (6.1%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) NAICS 4230A1 | 6,920 | 9.2% | $48,400 | $23.27 |
| Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) NAICS 4450A1 | 6,410 | 8.5% | $47,490 | $22.83 |
| Warehousing and Storage NAICS 493100 | 4,600 | 6.1% | $45,030 | $21.65 |
| Business Support Services NAICS 561400 | 3,450 | 4.6% | $45,850 | $22.04 |
| Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers NAICS 423400 | 2,830 | 3.8% | $48,100 | $23.13 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (75,200). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $37,920 for order clerks in May 2021 and $46,170 in May 2025, with employment of 133,850 and 75,200.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $37,920 | $18.23 | 133,850 |
| May 2022 | $38,060 | $18.30 | 113,500 |
| May 2023 | $41,600 | $20.00 | 91,830 |
| May 2024 | $44,660 | $21.47 | 83,420 |
| May 2025 | $46,170 | $22.20 | 75,200 |
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
49 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 | Massachusetts profile | $26.46 | $55,040 | $45,750 | $72,920 | 1,350 | 0.37 | 0.77 |
| 2 | Oregon profile | $24.17 | $50,260 | $39,960 | $72,040 | 790 | 0.40 | 0.83 |
| 3 | Vermont profile | $24.02 | $49,950 | $39,750 | $61,030 | ** | ** | ** |
| 4 | Colorado profile | $23.81 | $49,530 | $37,850 | $63,980 | 1,970 | 0.69 | 1.42 |
| 5 | Rhode Island profile | $23.75 | $49,410 | $45,180 | $58,080 | 170 | 0.34 | 0.70 |
| 6 | District of Columbia profile | $23.63 | $49,150 | $42,330 | $60,100 | 170 | 0.25 | 0.51 |
| 7 | Alabama profile | $23.48 | $48,840 | $36,600 | $59,270 | 80 | 0.04 | 0.08 |
| 8 | Arizona profile | $23.36 | $48,590 | $38,780 | $61,110 | 760 | 0.24 | 0.49 |
| 9 | New Hampshire profile | $23.34 | $48,540 | $37,740 | $60,290 | 390 | 0.57 | 1.19 |
| 10 | Minnesota profile | $23.27 | $48,400 | $37,470 | $59,180 | 1,150 | 0.39 | 0.81 |
| 11 | New York profile | $23.23 | $48,320 | $34,570 | $65,360 | 3,530 | 0.36 | 0.75 |
| 12 | South Dakota profile | $23.08 | $48,010 | $38,370 | $54,890 | 330 | 0.72 | 1.49 |
| 13 | Washington profile | $23.07 | $47,990 | $42,710 | $66,400 | 4,300 | 1.21 | 2.51 |
| 14 | Maine profile | $22.96 | $47,750 | $40,030 | $60,880 | 300 | 0.46 | 0.96 |
| 15 | Wisconsin profile | $22.96 | $47,750 | $34,510 | $76,170 | 1,540 | 0.52 | 1.08 |
| 16 | Maryland profile | $22.93 | $47,700 | $39,110 | $65,870 | 850 | 0.31 | 0.63 |
| 17 | Illinois profile | $22.92 | $47,670 | $36,000 | $60,630 | 3,540 | 0.58 | 1.20 |
| 18 | Connecticut profile | $22.84 | $47,500 | $38,130 | $67,640 | 710 | 0.42 | 0.86 |
| 19 | California profile | $22.74 | $47,290 | $37,170 | $66,580 | 12,390 | 0.68 | 1.41 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania profile | $22.52 | $46,840 | $36,030 | $58,910 | 2,570 | 0.42 | 0.88 |
| 21 | Hawaii profile | $22.48 | $46,760 | $32,130 | $65,100 | 210 | 0.33 | 0.68 |
| 22 | New Jersey profile | $22.25 | $46,270 | $37,440 | $78,230 | 2,640 | 0.62 | 1.27 |
| 23 | Ohio profile | $22.17 | $46,120 | $33,280 | $63,200 | 3,810 | 0.69 | 1.42 |
| 24 | North Carolina profile | $22.14 | $46,060 | $34,510 | $61,580 | 2,990 | 0.61 | 1.25 |
| 25 | Oklahoma profile | $22.04 | $45,850 | $39,130 | $48,430 | 2,210 | 1.30 | 2.68 |
| 26 | West Virginia profile | $21.79 | $45,320 | $29,640 | $72,750 | 100 | 0.14 | 0.30 |
| 27 | Kansas profile | $21.73 | $45,200 | $31,750 | $56,180 | 310 | 0.21 | 0.44 |
| 28 | Iowa profile | $21.63 | $44,980 | $35,140 | $57,140 | 680 | 0.44 | 0.91 |
| 29 | Florida profile | $21.34 | $44,380 | $35,160 | $62,380 | 3,270 | 0.33 | 0.68 |
| 30 | Indiana profile | $21.32 | $44,340 | $36,390 | $62,380 | 1,800 | 0.56 | 1.16 |
| 31 | Texas profile | $21.29 | $44,280 | $33,230 | $61,690 | 5,180 | 0.37 | 0.76 |
| 32 | Michigan profile | $21.27 | $44,240 | $34,060 | $61,830 | 2,290 | 0.52 | 1.08 |
| 33 | Nebraska profile | $21.18 | $44,060 | $35,880 | $59,810 | 440 | 0.43 | 0.89 |
| 34 | Mississippi profile | $20.69 | $43,040 | $31,050 | $50,470 | 470 | 0.40 | 0.83 |
| 35 | Virginia profile | $20.47 | $42,580 | $35,140 | $61,620 | 1,690 | 0.41 | 0.85 |
| 36 | Montana profile | $20.19 | $42,000 | $35,490 | $49,820 | 60 | 0.13 | 0.26 |
| 37 | Arkansas profile | $20.08 | $41,760 | $24,230 | $48,690 | 290 | 0.22 | 0.46 |
| 38 | South Carolina profile | $20.07 | $41,740 | $31,360 | $54,640 | 740 | 0.32 | 0.66 |
| 39 | Georgia profile | $20.06 | $41,720 | $33,860 | $57,740 | 1,750 | 0.36 | 0.74 |
| 40 | Delaware profile | $19.92 | $41,430 | $32,130 | $57,970 | 170 | 0.36 | 0.75 |
| 41 | New Mexico profile | $19.72 | $41,020 | $38,470 | $58,180 | 310 | 0.36 | 0.74 |
| 42 | Kentucky profile | $19.53 | $40,620 | $32,710 | $52,100 | 930 | 0.46 | 0.96 |
| 43 | Nevada profile | $19.50 | $40,560 | $33,860 | $54,730 | 740 | 0.48 | 0.98 |
| 44 | Utah profile | $19.36 | $40,260 | $30,520 | $56,140 | 880 | 0.51 | 1.05 |
| 45 | Idaho profile | $19.29 | $40,110 | $36,150 | $60,380 | 90 | 0.11 | 0.23 |
| 46 | Tennessee profile | $18.83 | $39,160 | $29,790 | $55,590 | 2,260 | 0.69 | 1.43 |
| 47 | Alaska profile | $18.07 | $37,590 | $33,340 | $51,410 | 70 | 0.21 | 0.43 |
| 48 | Louisiana profile | $18.04 | $37,520 | $29,070 | $59,250 | 660 | 0.34 | 0.71 |
| – | Missouri profile | * | * | * | * | 840 | 0.28 | 0.59 |
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 43-4151 Order Clerks.
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment 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 43-4151, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 43-4151.00, 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.