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The national median salary for File Clerks is $43,597 per year ($20.96/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $36,421 and $51,771 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $63,502 per year. There are approximately 73,440 file clerks employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
File correspondence, cards, invoices, receipts, and other records in alphabetical or numerical order or according to the filing system used. Locate and remove material from file when requested.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-15.9%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
7K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
84K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% 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
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
14K
$48,380
Legal Services
NAICS 541100
8K
$44,060
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
3K
$38,170
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
2K
$44,820
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
2K
$46,480
Wage range across top 5 industries: $38,170 to $48,380 (27% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$15.00
$31,200
P25
$17.51
$36,421
P50MEDIAN
$20.96
$43,597
P75
$24.89
$51,771
P90
$30.53
$63,502
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average file clerks salary?
The national median salary for File Clerks is $43,597 per year ($20.96/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $36,421 and $51,771 annually.
How much do top-earning file clerks make?
The 90th percentile salary for File Clerks is $63,502 per year ($30.53/hr). The 75th percentile is $51,771 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for file clerks?
Entry-level File Clerks (10th percentile) earn approximately $31,200 per year ($15.00/hr). The 25th percentile is $36,421 per year.
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.
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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.