Tellers
Tellers (SOC 43-3071) earn a median $43,030 a year ($20.69 an hour) in the United States, with 329,480 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Washington.
What tellers do
Tellers receive and pay out money and keep records of the money and negotiable instruments involved in a financial institution's transactions. They receive checks and cash for deposit, verify the amounts, and check the accuracy of deposit slips. Before cashing a check or paying out money they confirm that the signature is correct, that the written and numerical amounts agree, and that the account has enough funds. They also examine checks for endorsements and other details such as dates, bank names, the identity of the payee, and whether the document is legal. Transactions are entered in a computer, which issues a receipt. Tellers count currency, coins, and checks by hand or with a counting machine so they are ready to be deposited or sent to branch banks or the Federal Reserve Bank, monitor vault balances, and resolve problems with customer accounts. At the end of a shift they balance the cash drawer. Gambling cage workers, who handle money in casinos, are classified separately.
Typical entry: O*NET survey respondents most often report a high school diploma or equivalent as the education level for this occupation.
Also called: Account Representative, Bank Representative, Bank Teller, Banker, Bilingual Spanish Teller.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $16.52 | $17.81 | $20.69 | $22.39 | $23.88 | $20.36 | 329,480 |
| Annual | $34,360 | $37,040 | $43,030 | $46,580 | $49,680 | $42,350 | ||
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 tellers 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 | ||||||
| Washington | Hourly | $19.32 | $21.84 | $22.92 | $27.62 | $29.26 | $24.34 | 9,180 | 2.59 | 1.22 |
| Annual | $40,190 | $45,430 | $47,670 | $57,450 | $60,870 | $50,620 | ||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | $17.98 | $21.00 | $22.70 | $23.21 | $27.24 | $22.50 | 10,270 | 2.40 | 1.13 |
| Annual | $37,390 | $43,680 | $47,210 | $48,270 | $56,670 | $46,800 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $18.29 | $21.49 | $22.55 | $23.74 | $28.20 | $22.97 | 25,230 | 1.39 | 0.65 |
| Annual | $38,030 | $44,690 | $46,900 | $49,380 | $58,660 | $47,790 | ||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $18.45 | $21.36 | $22.55 | $23.28 | $26.79 | $22.52 | 7,190 | 1.98 | 0.93 |
| Annual | $38,380 | $44,420 | $46,900 | $48,420 | $55,730 | $46,850 | ||||
| Alaska | Hourly | $20.41 | $22.20 | $22.49 | $22.84 | $23.89 | $22.58 | 1,020 | 3.13 | 1.48 |
| Annual | $42,440 | $46,180 | $46,770 | $47,510 | $49,680 | $46,970 | ||||
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 | $14.60 | $17.18 | $18.29 | $21.90 | $22.96 | $19.14 | 25,860 | 1.84 | 0.87 |
| Annual | $30,360 | $35,730 | $38,050 | $45,550 | $47,770 | $39,810 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $18.29 | $21.49 | $22.55 | $23.74 | $28.20 | $22.97 | 25,230 | 1.39 | 0.65 |
| Annual | $38,030 | $44,690 | $46,900 | $49,380 | $58,660 | $47,790 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $16.67 | $17.46 | $18.59 | $21.70 | $22.96 | $19.72 | 16,960 | 2.78 | 1.31 |
| Annual | $34,670 | $36,330 | $38,670 | $45,140 | $47,750 | $41,010 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $18.25 | $19.32 | $21.35 | $22.93 | $26.65 | $21.66 | 15,040 | 1.55 | 0.73 |
| Annual | $37,950 | $40,180 | $44,400 | $47,700 | $55,420 | $45,050 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $16.71 | $17.68 | $19.33 | $22.03 | $23.63 | $20.09 | 14,800 | 2.44 | 1.15 |
| Annual | $34,750 | $36,770 | $40,200 | $45,810 | $49,160 | $41,800 | ||||
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 | $22.05 | $22.81 | $24.08 | $28.14 | $29.84 | $25.64 | 1,030 | 0.91 | 0.43 |
| Annual | $45,870 | $47,450 | $50,090 | $58,540 | $62,070 | $53,320 | ||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | $21.63 | $22.68 | $23.98 | $28.44 | $30.23 | $25.69 | 3,730 | 1.79 | 0.84 |
| Annual | $44,990 | $47,170 | $49,880 | $59,150 | $62,880 | $53,430 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | $21.55 | $23.20 | $23.74 | $28.11 | $28.51 | $25.07 | 2,810 | 1.18 | 0.56 |
| Annual | $44,830 | $48,260 | $49,370 | $58,470 | $59,300 | $52,150 | ||||
| Napa, CA | Hourly | $18.06 | $21.78 | $23.68 | $26.64 | $28.38 | $24.34 | 100 | 1.30 | 0.61 |
| Annual | $37,570 | $45,290 | $49,260 | $55,410 | $59,040 | $50,620 | ||||
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | Hourly | $19.04 | $22.06 | $23.41 | $29.05 | $33.70 | $25.53 | 530 | 4.06 | 1.92 |
| Annual | $39,600 | $45,880 | $48,700 | $60,430 | $70,090 | $53,100 | ||||
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 | $18.99 | $21.20 | $22.71 | $23.54 | $27.48 | $22.90 | 15,820 | 1.67 | 0.79 |
| Annual | $39,510 | $44,090 | $47,230 | $48,960 | $57,160 | $47,640 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $17.54 | $18.35 | $21.41 | $22.19 | $23.57 | $20.90 | 9,930 | 2.20 | 1.04 |
| Annual | $36,480 | $38,160 | $44,540 | $46,160 | $49,030 | $43,480 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $18.15 | $21.18 | $22.28 | $23.30 | $28.15 | $22.61 | 8,790 | 1.40 | 0.66 |
| Annual | $37,750 | $44,060 | $46,350 | $48,460 | $58,550 | $47,030 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $15.41 | $17.96 | $18.88 | $22.37 | $24.06 | $20.13 | 6,010 | 1.49 | 0.70 |
| Annual | $32,060 | $37,360 | $39,270 | $46,530 | $50,050 | $41,860 | ||||
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | Hourly | $17.86 | $18.71 | $21.70 | $22.44 | $23.85 | $21.33 | 6,010 | 2.07 | 0.98 |
| Annual | $37,150 | $38,920 | $45,130 | $46,670 | $49,600 | $44,370 | ||||
Top industries employing tellers
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) employ 95.5% of tellers nationally (314,650 jobs) at a median $42,920 a year ($20.64 an hour), followed by Management of Companies and Enterprises (1.3%) and Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (1.2%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) NAICS 5220A1 | 314,650 | 95.5% | $42,920 | $20.64 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises NAICS 551100 | 4,340 | 1.3% | $44,860 | $21.57 |
| Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities NAICS 523000 | 3,810 | 1.2% | $46,690 | $22.45 |
| Nondepository Credit Intermediation NAICS 522200 | 2,690 | 0.8% | $42,650 | $20.50 |
| Investigation and Security Services NAICS 561600 | 1,980 | 0.6% | $41,190 | $19.80 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (329,480). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $36,310 for tellers in May 2021 and $43,030 in May 2025, with employment of 364,210 and 329,480.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $36,310 | $17.46 | 364,210 |
| May 2022 | $36,380 | $17.49 | 352,440 |
| May 2023 | $37,640 | $18.10 | 340,820 |
| May 2024 | $39,340 | $18.91 | 339,340 |
| May 2025 | $43,030 | $20.69 | 329,480 |
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 | Washington profile | $22.92 | $47,670 | $40,190 | $60,870 | 9,180 | 2.59 | 1.22 |
| 2 | New Jersey profile | $22.70 | $47,210 | $37,390 | $56,670 | 10,270 | 2.40 | 1.13 |
| 3 | California profile | $22.55 | $46,900 | $38,030 | $58,660 | 25,230 | 1.39 | 0.65 |
| 4 | Massachusetts profile | $22.55 | $46,900 | $38,380 | $55,730 | 7,190 | 1.98 | 0.93 |
| 5 | Alaska profile | $22.49 | $46,770 | $42,440 | $49,680 | 1,020 | 3.13 | 1.48 |
| 6 | Connecticut profile | $22.27 | $46,320 | $38,100 | $53,140 | 3,220 | 1.90 | 0.90 |
| 7 | Colorado profile | $22.14 | $46,060 | $37,730 | $56,060 | 5,370 | 1.87 | 0.88 |
| 8 | Maryland profile | $22.12 | $46,010 | $36,060 | $55,900 | 3,860 | 1.40 | 0.66 |
| 9 | District of Columbia profile | $21.92 | $45,590 | $36,400 | $47,480 | 700 | 0.99 | 0.47 |
| 10 | Florida profile | $21.91 | $45,580 | $36,010 | $57,130 | 14,700 | 1.48 | 0.70 |
| 11 | Delaware profile | $21.80 | $45,340 | $37,620 | $49,600 | 1,400 | 2.90 | 1.37 |
| 12 | Rhode Island profile | $21.78 | $45,300 | $40,220 | $54,980 | 830 | 1.66 | 0.78 |
| 13 | Arizona profile | $21.75 | $45,250 | $37,620 | $54,350 | 3,770 | 1.16 | 0.55 |
| 14 | Virginia profile | $21.69 | $45,120 | $34,640 | $50,050 | 7,410 | 1.80 | 0.85 |
| 15 | Nevada profile | $21.63 | $44,980 | $37,610 | $47,770 | 1,850 | 1.19 | 0.56 |
| 16 | North Carolina profile | $21.55 | $44,830 | $37,550 | $50,450 | 5,260 | 1.06 | 0.50 |
| 17 | New Hampshire profile | $21.38 | $44,460 | $37,900 | $49,630 | 1,550 | 2.27 | 1.07 |
| 18 | Oregon profile | $21.36 | $44,440 | $37,990 | $47,780 | 2,990 | 1.52 | 0.72 |
| 19 | New York profile | $21.35 | $44,400 | $37,950 | $55,420 | 15,040 | 1.55 | 0.73 |
| 20 | Minnesota profile | $21.25 | $44,190 | $35,410 | $47,510 | 5,740 | 1.95 | 0.92 |
| 21 | Vermont profile | $21.17 | $44,030 | $37,950 | $46,470 | 930 | 3.06 | 1.44 |
| 22 | Hawaii profile | $21.11 | $43,910 | $36,210 | $49,340 | 1,760 | 2.81 | 1.33 |
| 23 | Maine profile | $20.62 | $42,890 | $37,320 | $46,910 | 2,410 | 3.76 | 1.77 |
| 24 | Idaho profile | $20.38 | $42,380 | $36,940 | $45,610 | 2,690 | 3.14 | 1.48 |
| 25 | South Carolina profile | $20.33 | $42,280 | $35,300 | $48,590 | 4,400 | 1.91 | 0.90 |
| 26 | Georgia profile | $20.04 | $41,690 | $31,620 | $49,090 | 7,820 | 1.60 | 0.75 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania profile | $19.33 | $40,200 | $34,750 | $49,160 | 14,800 | 2.44 | 1.15 |
| 28 | Ohio profile | $19.14 | $39,810 | $35,360 | $47,930 | 13,890 | 2.50 | 1.18 |
| 29 | Wisconsin profile | $19.06 | $39,640 | $36,600 | $47,260 | 9,030 | 3.07 | 1.45 |
| 30 | North Dakota profile | $18.90 | $39,300 | $37,100 | $47,780 | 1,990 | 4.64 | 2.19 |
| 31 | Michigan profile | $18.87 | $39,240 | $35,330 | $47,480 | 13,420 | 3.05 | 1.44 |
| 32 | Indiana profile | $18.62 | $38,730 | $34,680 | $47,380 | 8,400 | 2.62 | 1.24 |
| 33 | Illinois profile | $18.59 | $38,670 | $34,670 | $47,750 | 16,960 | 2.78 | 1.31 |
| 34 | South Dakota profile | $18.49 | $38,460 | $35,820 | $46,020 | 1,560 | 3.42 | 1.61 |
| 35 | Iowa profile | $18.49 | $38,450 | $34,920 | $48,690 | 5,470 | 3.51 | 1.65 |
| 36 | Utah profile | $18.45 | $38,370 | $36,240 | $46,950 | 4,790 | 2.76 | 1.30 |
| 37 | Wyoming profile | $18.41 | $38,290 | $32,670 | $48,120 | 970 | 3.45 | 1.63 |
| 38 | Nebraska profile | $18.34 | $38,140 | $33,490 | $46,320 | 4,590 | 4.48 | 2.12 |
| 39 | Montana profile | $18.31 | $38,080 | $35,830 | $45,040 | 1,660 | 3.25 | 1.53 |
| 40 | Texas profile | $18.29 | $38,050 | $30,360 | $47,770 | 25,860 | 1.84 | 0.87 |
| 41 | New Mexico profile | $18.11 | $37,680 | $30,970 | $47,450 | 2,330 | 2.68 | 1.26 |
| 42 | Alabama profile | $17.96 | $37,350 | $29,980 | $45,860 | 6,770 | 3.20 | 1.51 |
| 43 | Kentucky profile | $17.89 | $37,210 | $29,770 | $46,000 | 5,350 | 2.67 | 1.26 |
| 44 | Kansas profile | $17.71 | $36,840 | $29,550 | $46,440 | 4,720 | 3.28 | 1.55 |
| 45 | Mississippi profile | $17.70 | $36,810 | $29,300 | $45,120 | 3,750 | 3.22 | 1.52 |
| 46 | Tennessee profile | $17.67 | $36,750 | $29,720 | $46,150 | 7,560 | 2.31 | 1.09 |
| 47 | Missouri profile | $17.62 | $36,650 | $30,370 | $48,130 | 10,030 | 3.42 | 1.61 |
| 48 | Oklahoma profile | $17.23 | $35,840 | $29,380 | $46,210 | 7,230 | 4.23 | 2.00 |
| 49 | Arkansas profile | $17.17 | $35,710 | $29,020 | $44,950 | 4,250 | 3.26 | 1.54 |
| 50 | Louisiana profile | $17.15 | $35,680 | $28,180 | $45,080 | 4,900 | 2.53 | 1.20 |
| 51 | West Virginia profile | $16.62 | $34,560 | $28,680 | $39,350 | 2,620 | 3.74 | 1.76 |
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 43-3071 Tellers.
- 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 43-3071, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 43-3071.00, 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.