Office and Administrative Support Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 43-9022

Word Processors and Typists

O*NET task statements lead this Word Processors and Typists card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Postal Service Mail Carriers, Public Safety Telecommunicators, Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators, Communications Equipment Operators, All Other.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Word Processors and Typists: Postal Service Mail Carriers ($61K) , Public Safety Telecommunicators ($53K) , Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators ($58K) , Communications Equipment Operators, All Other ($55K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Word Processors and Typists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 43-9022 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Perform other clerical duties, such as answering telephone, sorting and distributing mail, running errands or sending faxes
  2. 2. Check completed work for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and format
  3. 3. File and store completed documents on computer hard drive or disk, or maintain a computer filing system to store, retrieve, update, and d…
  4. 4. Print and make copies of work
  5. 5. Transmit work electronically to other locations
  6. 6. Address envelopes or prepare envelope labels, using typewriter or computer
  7. 7. Type correspondence, reports, text and other written material from rough drafts, corrected copies, voice recordings, dictation, or previo…
  8. 8. Gather, register, and arrange the material to be typed, following instructions
  9. 9. Compute and verify totals on report forms, requisitions, or bills, using adding machine or calculator
  10. 10. Manage schedules and set dates, times, and locations for meetings and appointments
  11. 11. Keep records of work performed
  12. 12. Electronically sort and compile text and numerical data, retrieving, updating, and merging documents as required

Word Processors and Typists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 43-9022 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.5 ; lead knowledge Administrative. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.5
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.3
  3. 3. Writing 3.3
  4. 4. Speaking 3.0
  5. 5. Monitoring 3.0
  6. 6. Time Management 3.0
  7. 7. Service Orientation 2.9
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Administrative 4.8
  2. 2. English Language 4.3
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 4.2
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.5
  5. 5. Law and Government 2.6
  6. 6. Administration and Management 2.4
National median after O*NET task lead
$49,280
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Perform other clerical duties, such as answering telephone, sorting and distributing mail, running errands or sending faxes
$49K
National median
↓ -36%
Growth 2024-2034
2,200
Annual openings
35,010
Estimated US jobs
Postal Service Mail Carriers
Highest-pay peer · $61K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Word Processors and Typists

1. Massachusetts $53,740
2. California $56,380
3. Colorado $57,550
4. Minnesota $51,550
5. Tennessee $49,750
6. Idaho $49,930
7. District of Columbia $49,180
8. Connecticut $49,250
9. Oregon $52,420
10. New Jersey $49,520

Other Office and Administrative Support Occupations titles

  1. 1. Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators $58,470
  2. 2. Postal Service Mail Carriers $60,550
  3. 3. Communications Equipment Operators, All Other $54,680
  4. 4. Public Safety Telecommunicators $53,040
  5. 5. Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs $54,210
  6. 6. Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $55,570

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Word Processors and Typists (SOC 43-9022). The national OEWS median is $49,280 inside Office and Administrative Support Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Postal Service Mail Carriers, Public Safety Telecommunicators, Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators, Communications Equipment Operators, All Other. Lead published task: Perform other clerical duties, such as answering telephone, sorting and distributing mail, running errands or sending faxes.

Employment Projections expect -36% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,200 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: Massachusetts at $53,740. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Postal Service Mail Carriers at $60,550. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Word Processors and Typists pay-rank #25 in Office and Administrative Support Occupations

Word Processors and Typists sits at pay-rank #25 of 54 detailed Office and Administrative Support Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table 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 43-9022 · national median $49,280 · middle third of Office and Administrative Support Occupations (#25/54). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Word Processors and Typists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 43-9022

Massachusetts · top state for Word Processors and Typists

$54K published median

California · #2 state pay

$56K · behind Massachusetts

Postal Service Mail Carriers

Highest-pay peer vs Word Processors and Typists · $61K

Public Safety Telecommunicators

Lower-pay peer beside Word Processors and Typists · $53K

Compare Word Processors and Typists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Word Processors and Typists with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Word Processors and Typists full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Word Processors and Typists mid-table among Office and Administrative Support Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #25 of 54 detailed Office and Administrative Support Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks ($49K), Information and Record Clerks, All Other ($50K), Court, Municipal, and License Clerks ($49K), Loan Interviewers and Clerks ($50K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do word processors and typists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Word Processors and Typists. Leading ones include: Perform other clerical duties, such as answering telephone, sorting and distributing mail, running errands or sending faxes; Check completed work for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and format; File and store completed documents on computer hard drive or disk, or maintain a computer filing system to store, retrieve, update, and d…; Print and make copies of work. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for word processors and typists? ▼
For SOC 43-9022, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.5), Active Listening (3.3), Writing (3.3), Speaking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Administrative, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Word Processors and Typists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $49,280 as the national median for Word Processors and Typists. The published 10th-90th range is $36,810 to $65,150. Beside Postal Service Mail Carriers ($60,550), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Word Processors and Typists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Word Processors and Typists is -36%. Projected annual openings: about 2,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Word Processors and Typists? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Word Processors and Typists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Word Processors and Typists? ▼
Massachusetts ($53,740), California ($56,380), Colorado ($57,550) 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 Word Processors and Typists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 43-9022. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Word Processors and Typists. 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