43 Series · SOC 43-4021
Correspondence Clerks Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $46,800
- Median / year
- +0.1%
- 2024→2025
- $64,510
- Top 10% earn
- -5.6%
- Growth '24–'34
- 4,290
- Estimated US jobs
Correspondence Clerks earn a median of $46,800 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $46,800, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $33,300 (10th percentile) to $64,510 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 4,290 estimated jobs in covered establishments. The highest published state median in this ranking is Connecticut ($61,310).
The pay verdict
Correspondence Clerks earn a median of $46,800, putting them among the lower-paid US occupations and higher than 24% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Office and Administrative Support, it ranks #33 of 54 by median pay. Employment is projected to fall 5.6% by 2034.
- $46,800
- Median annual wage
- Top 76%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #33 of 54
- in Office and Administrative Support
- 1.9×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: Connecticut at $61,310. Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
Observed pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2019–2025
- The published national median for Correspondence Clerks moved from $38,140 in May 2019 to $46,800 in May 2025 (+22.7%).
- Across the 749 occupations priced in both releases under SOC-2018, the median occupation changed +24.5%.
- Correspondence Clerks sits -1.7 pp near that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Correspondence Clerks (SOC 43-4021) has a national median of $46,800 per year in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release. The published 10th-to-90th-percentile boundaries run from $33,300 to $64,510, and the published mean is $48,090. Those summary statistics describe the estimated distribution; their difference alone does not identify its cause. OEWS estimates 4,290 jobs in covered establishments nationally. WageDex has published rows for 26 state or territory areas and 20 metropolitan or nonmetropolitan wage areas. The published national median moved from $46,740 in the May 2024 OEWS release to $46,800 in May 2025, a rise of $60 (+0.1%). This is a change between two BLS survey estimates, not an inflation-adjusted same-worker pay raise.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a -5.6% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which we classify as declining relative to the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. About 700 openings are projected per year from growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry, and BLS classifies its typical on-the-job preparation as short-term on-the-job training. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific fatality and injury rate for this role in the current release. The safety panel below shows its broad Office and Administrative Support Occupations SOC-group context and is not an occupation-level measurement or ranking.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. Connecticut pays the highest state median at $61,310, which is +31% above the national figure. The highest published metropolitan-area median in this ranking is Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA at $65,270. The observed difference does not identify its cause. Pair the national median with the state and metropolitan-area rows below while keeping the geography and statistic consistent. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses, but not employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, or nonproduction bonuses. See our methodology for the sourcing and calculation details.
Median Salary
$46,800
per year
Median Hourly
$22.50/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$48,090
average
Employment
4,290
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Correspondence Clerks pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$46,800 Bottom 24% higher than 24% of 825 US occupations
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
| Band | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| $0–$20,000 | 0 US occupations | 0% |
| $20,000–$40,000 | 98 US occupations | 12% |
| $40,000–$60,000 (this entry) | 298 US occupations | 36% |
| $60,000–$80,000 | 209 US occupations | 25% |
| $80,000–$100,000 | 82 US occupations | 10% |
| $100,000–$120,000 | 58 US occupations | 7% |
| $120,000–$140,000 | 32 US occupations | 4% |
| $140,000–$160,000 | 14 US occupations | 2% |
| $160,000–$180,000 | 9 US occupations | 1% |
| $180,000 and above | 25 US occupations | 3% |
$46,800 · 24th percentile of 825 US occupations
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 43-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Correspondence Clerks; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Read the chart as text
- Customer Service Rep…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.5%, Median annual wage $44770
- Office Clerks, General: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -6.7%, Median annual wage $45010
- Secretaries and Admi…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.6%, Median annual wage $47540
- First-Line Superviso…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.3%, Median annual wage $69500
- Bookkeeping, Account…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.8%, Median annual wage $50670
- Medical Secretaries …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.2%, Median annual wage $45930
- Shipping, Receiving,…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -7.7%, Median annual wage $45260
- Executive Secretarie…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.6%, Median annual wage $76590
- Billing and Posting …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.4%, Median annual wage $48500
- Production, Planning…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.8%, Median annual wage $59650
- Tellers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -12.9%, Median annual wage $43030
- Postal Service Mail …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -3.5%, Median annual wage $60550
- Hotel, Motel, and Re…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.7%, Median annual wage $35070
- Insurance Claims and…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -3.7%, Median annual wage $49230
- Dispatchers, Except …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.9%, Median annual wage $50340
- Office and Administr…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -7.8%, Median annual wage $45670
- Court, Municipal, an…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3%, Median annual wage $48700
- Loan Interviewers an…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -2.3%, Median annual wage $50020
- Bill and Account Col…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -10.5%, Median annual wage $47030
- Legal Secretaries an…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.8%, Median annual wage $55570
- Eligibility Intervie…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1%, Median annual wage $54210
- Payroll and Timekeep…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -16.7%, Median annual wage $58260
- Interviewers, Except…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -11.6%, Median annual wage $45920
- Correspondence Clerks: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.6%, Median annual wage $46800
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
-5.6%
Declining
Annual Openings
700
per year (projected)
Employment Change
-400
6,900 (2024) → 6,500 (2034)
Typical Education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-Job Training
Short-term on-the-job training
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Office and Administrative Support Occupations context
Broad SOC context, not an occupation grade
Fatality Rate
0.5/100K
Injury Rate
1/100
Danger Index
4.3/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Correspondence Clerks roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ Ensure that money collected is properly recorded and secured.
- ▸ Maintain files and control records to show correspondence activities.
- ▸ Read incoming correspondence to ascertain nature of writers' concerns and to determine disposition of correspondence.
- ▸ Gather records pertinent to specific problems, review them for completeness and accuracy, and attach records to correspondence as necessary.
- ▸ Prepare documents and correspondence, such as damage claims, credit and billing inquiries, invoices, and service complaints.
- ▸ Process orders for goods requested in correspondence.
- ▸ Compile data from records to prepare periodic reports.
- ▸ Compose letters in reply to correspondence concerning such items as requests for merchandise, damage claims, credit information requests, delinquent accounts, incorrect billing, or unsatisfactory service.
- ▸ Present clear and concise explanations of governing rules and regulations.
- ▸ Review correspondence for format and typographical accuracy, assemble the information into a prescribed form with the correct number of copies, and submit it to an authorized official for signature.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
Correspondence Clerks pay history, 2015–2025
Published national median across 11 BLS OEWS releases. Nominal dollars, not inflation-adjusted.
Read the chart as text
| Period | National median |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $35,320 |
| 2016 | $36,370 |
| 2017 | $36,620 |
| 2018 | $37,290 |
| 2019 | $38,140 |
| 2020 | $38,400 |
| 2021 | $37,920 |
| 2022 | $38,700 |
| 2023 | $42,120 |
| 2024 | $46,740 |
| 2025 | $46,800 |
2015 median
$35,320
2025 median
$46,800
2019–2025 change (same SOC)
+$8,660 (+22.7%)
Avg/year (same SOC)
+3.5%
| Release | Median | Change | Estimated jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | $35,320 | First banked release | 7,320 |
| May 2016 | $36,370 | +3.0% | 6,780 |
| May 2017 | $36,620 | +0.7% | 6,370 |
| May 2018 | $37,290 | +1.8% | 5,460 |
| May 2019 | $38,140 | Classification break | 6,250 |
| May 2020 | $38,400 | +0.7% | 6,150 |
| May 2021 | $37,920 | -1.2% | 7,060 |
| May 2022 | $38,700 | +2.1% | 4,970 |
| May 2023 | $42,120 | +8.8% | 4,650 |
| May 2024 | $46,740 | +11.0% | 6,260 |
| May 2025 | $46,800 | +0.1% | 4,290 |
Across the 11 releases WageDex holds for this occupation, the published national median went from $35,320 in May 2015 to $46,800 in May 2025. Within the SOC-2018 classification (2019–2025), the like-for-like change averages +3.5% per year in nominal terms. Within the same SOC classification, estimated employment went from 6,250 in May 2019 to 4,290 in May 2025.
Each figure is a separate BLS survey estimate, so a change between releases reflects the estimated occupation-wide median in each year. It is not the raise any individual worker received, and it is not adjusted for inflation. Years where BLS did not publish an annual median for this occupation are omitted rather than filled in. This span also crosses a classification change: releases before May 2019 use the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification and later releases use the 2018 SOC, so figures either side of that boundary are not strictly like-for-like. Headline change rates on this page use only the same-classification subset.
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
View all 26 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $61,310 | +31% above national |
| 2 | Oregon | $61,160 | +31% above national |
| 3 | California | $53,640 | +15% above national |
| 4 | Idaho | $51,010 | +9% above national |
| 5 | Nebraska | $49,800 | +6% above national |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $49,730 | +6% above national |
| 7 | Indiana | $49,710 | +6% above national |
| 8 | Ohio | $49,700 | +6% above national |
| 9 | New York | $49,360 | +5% above national |
| 10 | Maine | $49,180 | +5% above national |
| 11 | Texas | $48,860 | +4% above national |
| 12 | New Jersey | $48,510 | +4% above national |
| 13 | Virginia | $48,310 | +3% above national |
| 14 | Nevada | $47,820 | +2% above national |
| 15 | Utah | $47,450 | +1% above national |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $47,400 | +1% above national |
| 17 | Illinois | $46,280 | 1% below national |
| 18 | Colorado | $45,510 | 3% below national |
| 19 | Missouri | $43,400 | 7% below national |
| 20 | Tennessee | $42,390 | 9% below national |
| 21 | North Carolina | $42,340 | 10% below national |
| 22 | South Carolina | $41,710 | 11% below national |
| 23 | Michigan | $40,780 | 13% below national |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $40,270 | 14% below national |
| 25 | Arizona | $39,900 | 15% below national |
| 26 | Louisiana | $36,790 | 21% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 20 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $65,270 | +39% above national |
| 2 | Manchester-Nashua, NH | $58,270 | +25% above national |
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $56,030 | +20% above national |
| 4 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $51,650 | +10% above national |
| 5 | Chattanooga, TN-GA | $51,480 | +10% above national |
| 6 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $50,890 | +9% above national |
| 7 | Omaha, NE-IA | $49,800 | +6% above national |
| 8 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $49,650 | +6% above national |
| 9 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $48,860 | +4% above national |
| 10 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $48,370 | +3% above national |
| 11 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $48,310 | +3% above national |
| 12 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $47,600 | +2% above national |
| 13 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $47,450 | +1% above national |
| 14 | Syracuse, NY | $47,280 | +1% above national |
| 15 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $45,180 | 3% below national |
| 16 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | $43,540 | 7% below national |
| 17 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $43,340 | 7% below national |
| 18 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $42,380 | 9% below national |
| 19 | Baton Rouge, LA | $36,790 | 21% below national |
| 20 | Jacksonville, FL | $33,930 | 28% below national |
Same SOC major group
Other detailed occupations in SOC major group 43 (Office and Administrative Support Occupations) - category peers, not a pay match.
Bill and Account Collectors
SOC 43-3011
Billing and Posting Clerks
SOC 43-3021
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
SOC 43-3031
Brokerage Clerks
SOC 43-4011
Cargo and Freight Agents
SOC 43-5011
Showing 5 of 53 detailed occupations BLS assigns to this SOC major group.
Nationwide occupations with similar pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside this SOC major group (Office and Administrative Support Occupations). Same-category cards above stay inside the group; these neighborhoods are cross-group nearest neighbors on national median pay ($46,800 here) and reported employment (4,290 jobs here).
Similar median pay
Nearest other detailed occupations by BLS OEWS national median annual wage.
Similar employment scale
Nearest headcount peers (floor 1,000 national jobs), distinct from the pay column.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS national median annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude occupations already listed in the pay column so the two link sets stay distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Correspondence Clerks make? ▼
Where does Correspondence Clerks pay rank nationally? ▼
What state pays Correspondence Clerks the most? ▼
What education do Correspondence Clerks need? ▼
Does BLS publish a safety rate for Correspondence Clerks? ▼
Is Correspondence Clerks a good career? ▼
How does Correspondence Clerks pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Correspondence Clerks? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Correspondence Clerks pay figures in a real decision
- The 75th-percentile wage is about $56,090/year. Treat it as the upper-quartile market boundary, not an automatic target for experience alone; role scope, location, industry, credentials, performance, and employer context still need separate evidence. Salary calculator
- Location moves pay significantly: Connecticut leads at $61,310/year for this role. Weigh state pay against local cost of living before relocating or negotiating remote. Pay by state
- Compare this occupation against similar roles before you decide, so you are reading the pay band in context rather than in isolation. Compare jobs
These are BLS survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. Your pay depends on experience, employer, exact role, and location.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation wages use BLS OEWS May 2025; outlook uses BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety, skills, knowledge, and task panels identify their BLS or O*NET sources in context. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.