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The national median salary for Clergy is $60,819 per year ($29.24/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $47,216 and $76,336 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $99,715 per year. There are approximately 58,080 clergy employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Conduct religious worship and perform other spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination. Provide spiritual and moral guidance and assistance to members.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.0%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
23K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
262K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
1% from new growth99% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Religious Organizations
NAICS 813100
27K
$58,290
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
9K
$63,680
Home Health Care Services
NAICS 621600
9K
$62,510
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
2K
$47,850
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)
NAICS 623100
2K
$60,630
Wage range across top 5 industries: $47,850 to $63,680 (33% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.86
$37,149
P25
$22.70
$47,216
P50MEDIAN
$29.24
$60,819
P75
$36.70
$76,336
P90
$47.94
$99,715
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average clergy salary?
The national median salary for Clergy is $60,819 per year ($29.24/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $47,216 and $76,336 annually.
How much do top-earning clergy make?
The 90th percentile salary for Clergy is $99,715 per year ($47.94/hr). The 75th percentile is $76,336 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for clergy?
Entry-level Clergy (10th percentile) earn approximately $37,149 per year ($17.86/hr). The 25th percentile is $47,216 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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