Healthcare Support Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 31-1132

Orderlies

O*NET task statements lead this Orderlies card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Occupational Therapy Assistants, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, Healthcare Support Workers, All Other, Medical Equipment Preparers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Orderlies: Occupational Therapy Assistants ($72K) , Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers ($38K) , Healthcare Support Workers, All Other ($48K) , Medical Equipment Preparers ($48K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Orderlies publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 31-1132 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers
  2. 2. Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds
  3. 3. Disinfect or sterilize equipment or supplies, using germicides or sterilizing equipment
  4. 4. Clean equipment, such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, or portable medical equipment, documenting needed repairs or maintenance
  5. 5. Respond to emergency situations, such as emergency medical calls, security calls, or fire alarms
  6. 6. Change soiled linens, such as bed linens, drapes, or cubicle curtains
  7. 7. Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas
  8. 8. Collect and transport infectious or hazardous waste in closed containers for sterilization or disposal, in accordance with applicable law…
  9. 9. Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel
  10. 10. Collect soiled linen or trash
  11. 11. Provide physical support to patients to assist them to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, us…
  12. 12. Separate collected materials for disposal, recycling, or reuse, in accordance with environmental policies

Orderlies: O*NET ranks Social Perceptiveness first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 31-1132 - lead skill Social Perceptiveness at 3.4 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Social Perceptiveness 3.4
  2. 2. Service Orientation 3.4
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.1
  4. 4. Speaking 3.0
  5. 5. Coordination 2.9
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 2.8
  7. 7. Writing 2.6
  8. 8. Monitoring 2.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.2
  2. 2. Public Safety and Security 3.1
  3. 3. English Language 3.0
  4. 4. Transportation 2.5
  5. 5. Education and Training 2.4
  6. 6. Psychology 2.4
National median after O*NET task lead
$38,290
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers
$38K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
7,800
Annual openings
52,440
Estimated US jobs
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Highest-pay peer · $72K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Orderlies

1. California $49,920
2. Vermont $48,120
3. Minnesota $44,550
4. Washington $48,690
5. Colorado $43,570
6. Oregon $45,120
7. New York $46,600
8. Hawaii $47,130
9. Delaware $43,800
10. Maine $42,530

Other Healthcare Support Occupations titles

  1. 1. Healthcare Support Workers, All Other $48,430
  2. 2. Medical Equipment Preparers $47,700
  3. 3. Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers $38,150
  4. 4. Nursing Assistants $42,260
  5. 5. Occupational Therapy Assistants $72,300
  6. 6. Massage Therapists $58,450

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Orderlies (SOC 31-1132). The national OEWS median is $38,290 inside Healthcare Support Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Occupational Therapy Assistants, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, Healthcare Support Workers, All Other, Medical Equipment Preparers. Lead published task: Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 7,800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $49,920. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Occupational Therapy Assistants at $72,300. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Orderlies pay-rank #13 in Healthcare Support Occupations

On the Healthcare Support Occupations median table (17 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Orderlies lands at #13, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 31-1132 · national median $38,290 · lower third of Healthcare Support Occupations (#13/17). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Orderlies salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 31-1132

California · top state for Orderlies

$50K published median

Vermont · #2 state pay

$48K · behind California

Occupational Therapy Assistants

Highest-pay peer vs Orderlies · $72K

Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers

Lower-pay peer beside Orderlies · $38K

Compare Orderlies

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Orderlies with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Orderlies full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Orderlies land on the Healthcare Support Occupations median table? ▼
Orderlies is pay-rank #13 of 17 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers ($38K), Pharmacy Aides ($38K), Home Health and Personal Care Aides ($36K), Physical Therapist Aides ($35K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do orderlies do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Orderlies. Leading ones include: Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers; Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds; Disinfect or sterilize equipment or supplies, using germicides or sterilizing equipment; Clean equipment, such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, or portable medical equipment, documenting needed repairs or maintenance. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for orderlies? ▼
For SOC 31-1132, O*NET importance scores lead with Social Perceptiveness (3.4), Service Orientation (3.4), Active Listening (3.1), Speaking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Orderlies? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $38,290 as the national median for Orderlies. The published 10th-90th range is $32,240 to $50,600. Beside Occupational Therapy Assistants ($72,300), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Orderlies? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Orderlies is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 7,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Orderlies? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Orderlies. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Orderlies? ▼
California ($49,920), Vermont ($48,120), Minnesota ($44,550) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Orderlies card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 31-1132. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Orderlies. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics