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Court, Municipal, and License Clerks Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 43-4031 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary
$48,693
$23.41/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Court salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

$Competitive · ~P50
P10$36K
P25$41K
P50$49K
P75$61K
P90$74K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
⚡
Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- the broader market openings are at 4.4% (JOLTS, June 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
📈
Merit budget: Wages in private industry are rising about 3.1% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.7-3.2% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $48,693 to $60,840 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Court pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 2.1% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.1% wage growth of the broader market (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · MODERATE

the broader market is running a 4.4% job-openings rate with quits at 2.0% (BLS JOLTS).

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 2.0 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.

What changed recently
  • Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: national job openings little changed at 7.4M (4.4% rate), hires flat at 5.3M, quits steady at 2.0%.
  • Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: national wages rose 3.2% over the year while CPI reached 3.5%, the first negative real-wage reading since 2022. Benefit costs accelerated to 3.8%.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks is $48,693 per year ($23.41/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $40,810 and $60,840 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $73,819 per year. There are approximately 179,750 court, municipal, and license clerks employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

Perform clerical duties for courts of law, municipalities, or governmental licensing agencies and bureaus. May prepare docket of cases to be called; secure information for judges and court; prepare draft agendas or bylaws for town or city council; answer official correspondence; keep fiscal records and accounts; issue licenses or permits; and record data, administer tests, or collect fees. Clerks of Court are classified in “Managers, All Other” (11-9199).

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.0%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
19K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
180K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
3% from new growth97% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training

Industry Wage Breakdown

Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
IndustryWorkforce Median Pay
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
130K$47,960
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
47K$52,940
Other Support Services
NAICS 561900
2K$34,100
Legal Services
NAICS 541100
260$48,560
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
260$38,190
Wage range across top 5 industries: $34,100 to $52,940 (55% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
PercentileHourly RateAnnual Salary
P10$17.45$36,296
P25$19.62$40,810
P50MEDIAN$23.41$48,693
P75$29.25$60,840
P90$35.49$73,819

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%

The labor market stayed steady in June: job openings were little changed at 7.4M (rate 4.4%), hires held at 5.3M, and total separations changed little at 5.4M. Quits were 3.2M (rate 2.0%). Openings rose in transportation, warehousing & utilities (+97K) and fell in wholesale trade (-74K).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average court, municipal, and license clerks salary?

The national median salary for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks is $48,693 per year ($23.41/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $40,810 and $60,840 annually.

How much do top-earning court, municipal, and license clerks make?

The 90th percentile salary for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks is $73,819 per year ($35.49/hr). The 75th percentile is $60,840 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for court, municipal, and license clerks?

Entry-level Court, Municipal, and License Clerks (10th percentile) earn approximately $36,296 per year ($17.45/hr). The 25th percentile is $40,810 per year.

Related Salary Data

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Court, Municipal, and License Clerks Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment
Texas15,730 workersCalifornia12,460 workersNew York11,850 workersFlorida11,180 workersOhio9,550 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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