Office and Administrative Support Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages High openings flow SOC 43-5071

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks

About 69,300 projected annual openings shape how to read Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks against Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, Communications Equipment Operators, All Other, Postal Service Clerks, First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks: Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants ($77K) , Communications Equipment Operators, All Other ($55K) , Postal Service Clerks ($62K) , First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers ($70K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 43-5071 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy
  2. 2. Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock
  3. 3. Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials
  4. 4. Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter
  5. 5. Record shipment data, such as weight, charges, space availability, damages, or discrepancies, for reporting, accounting, or recordkeeping…
  6. 6. Confer or correspond with establishment representatives to rectify problems, such as damages, shortages, or nonconformance to specifications
  7. 7. Deliver or route materials to departments using handtruck, conveyor, or sorting bins
  8. 8. Contact carrier representatives to make arrangements or to issue instructions for shipping and delivery of materials
  9. 9. Determine shipping methods, routes, or rates for materials to be shipped
  10. 10. Compute amounts, such as space available, shipping, storage, or demurrage charges, using computer or price list
  11. 11. Compare shipping routes or methods to determine which have the least environmental impact

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks: O*NET ranks Speaking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 43-5071 - lead skill Speaking at 3.3 ; lead knowledge Administrative. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 3.3
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.1
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.0
  5. 5. Monitoring 3.0
  6. 6. Time Management 3.0
  7. 7. Social Perceptiveness 2.9
  8. 8. Coordination 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Administrative 3.4
  2. 2. Computers and Electronics 3.1
  3. 3. Production and Processing 3.1
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.0
  5. 5. English Language 3.0
  6. 6. Administration and Management 3.0
Projected annual openings
69,300
growth + transfers + exits
National median $45,260/yr
$45K
National median
↓ -8%
Growth 2024-2034
816,870
Estimated US jobs
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
Highest-pay peer · $77K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks

1. New Hampshire $47,960
2. Alaska $47,900
3. Oregon $47,540
4. Minnesota $47,890
5. District of Columbia $49,660
6. Massachusetts $49,240
7. Washington $51,590
8. Hawaii $49,660
9. Iowa $47,590
10. Vermont $49,080

Other Office and Administrative Support Occupations titles

  1. 1. Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants $76,590
  2. 2. Communications Equipment Operators, All Other $54,680
  3. 3. Postal Service Clerks $62,130
  4. 4. First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $69,500
  5. 5. Postal Service Mail Carriers $60,550
  6. 6. Desktop Publishers $55,290

Roughly 69,300 projected annual openings (growth, transfers, exits) are the scale signal for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks. Median pay is $45,260 in Office and Administrative Support Occupations.

Employment Projections expect -8% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). 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: New Hampshire at $47,960. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants at $76,590. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks pay-rank #39 in Office and Administrative Support Occupations

On the Office and Administrative Support Occupations median table (54 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks lands at #39, 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 43-5071 · national median $45,260 · lower third of Office and Administrative Support Occupations (#39/54). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 43-5071

New Hampshire · top state for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks

$48K published median

Alaska · #2 state pay

$48K · behind New Hampshire

Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

Highest-pay peer vs Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks · $77K

Communications Equipment Operators, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks · $55K

Compare Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks with another occupation →

Openings and labor-flow next reads

Most Openings Rankings

Labor-flow scale across occupations

Compare openings side-by-side

Head-to-head with another role

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks land on the Office and Administrative Support Occupations median table? ▼
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks is pay-rank #39 of 54 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Office Clerks, General ($45K), Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other ($46K), Customer Service Representatives ($45K), Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan ($46K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks. Leading ones include: Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy; Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock; Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials; Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks? ▼
For SOC 43-5071, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (3.3), Reading Comprehension (3.1), Active Listening (3.1), Critical Thinking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Administrative, Computers and Electronics, Production and Processing. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $45,260 as the national median for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks. The published 10th-90th range is $34,650 to $62,190. Beside Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants ($76,590), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks is -8%. Projected annual openings: about 69,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks? ▼
New Hampshire ($47,960), Alaska ($47,900), Oregon ($47,540) 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 Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 43-5071. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks. 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