Brokerage Clerks
Median $65,750
Occupation · SOC 43-4071
File Clerks: pay and where the jobs are
What file clerks earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$43,600 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $45,590
- Median hourly wage
- $20.96
- Mean hourly wage
- $21.92
- Employment
- 73,440
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-4071.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among file clerks nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do file clerks make?
The median annual wage for file clerks was $43,600 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $31,200 and the highest-paid 10% more than $63,490. As an hourly rate, the median is $20.96. About 73,440 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Oregon ($50,660), Hawaii ($50,630) and Illinois ($49,920). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Iowa.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for file clerks looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $15.00 | $2,600 | $2,271 |
| 25th percentile | $36,420 | $17.51 | $3,035 | $2,620 |
| Median | $43,600 | $20.96 | $3,633 | $3,101 |
| 75th percentile | $51,770 | $24.89 | $4,314 | $3,648 |
| 90th percentile | $63,490 | $30.53 | $5,291 | $4,433 |
File Clerks: pay by state
51 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$43,838 take-home in national prices
2
$41,163 take-home in national prices
3
$41,064 take-home in national prices
Where a median file clerk paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 970 | $50,660 | $33,860 | $67,240 | $39,326 | $38,048 |
| Hawaii | 100 | $50,630 | $32,190 | $64,660 | $40,538 | $36,869 |
| Illinois | 3,780 | $49,920 | $32,120 | $73,040 | $39,964 | $39,981 |
| Alaska | 150 | $49,910 | $34,370 | $65,030 | $42,033 | $41,064 |
| California | 9,520 | $49,040 | $36,780 | $78,100 | $39,964 | $36,095 |
| Massachusetts | 600 | $48,310 | $37,430 | $70,210 | $38,579 | $36,479 |
| Vermont | 70 | $47,540 | $32,940 | $61,780 | $39,220 | $40,037 |
| Minnesota | 760 | $46,640 | $39,250 | $61,840 | $37,773 | $38,302 |
| Iowa | 430 | $46,560 | $33,390 | $63,480 | $38,473 | $43,838 |
| Colorado | 1,130 | $46,490 | $35,140 | $62,550 | $37,993 | $36,868 |
| Idaho | 540 | $45,910 | $29,600 | $50,460 | $37,744 | $39,525 |
| Washington | 520 | $45,830 | $36,410 | $63,670 | $38,369 | $35,854 |
| Wisconsin | 1,550 | $45,130 | $31,370 | $61,160 | $37,105 | $39,434 |
| Maryland | 880 | $44,920 | $35,950 | $60,530 | $36,506 | $34,781 |
| Connecticut | 350 | $44,810 | $34,010 | $68,190 | $36,194 | $34,933 |
| New Jersey | 2,310 | $44,400 | $33,370 | $65,100 | $36,575 | $33,615 |
| New Hampshire | 300 | $44,390 | $29,950 | $58,920 | $37,847 | $36,334 |
| New York | 2,590 | $44,340 | $34,270 | $59,770 | $35,787 | $33,160 |
| Nevada | 1,110 | $44,150 | $33,280 | $61,160 | $37,655 | $37,662 |
| Michigan | 1,820 | $43,950 | $31,750 | $61,900 | $35,877 | $37,287 |
| Maine | 210 | $43,910 | $37,430 | $51,860 | $35,913 | $37,005 |
| Arizona | 2,190 | $43,690 | $34,820 | $56,950 | $36,586 | $36,340 |
| North Carolina | 1,970 | $43,260 | $31,520 | $56,790 | $35,722 | $37,871 |
| Tennessee | 2,060 | $43,010 | $26,460 | $59,020 | $36,739 | $39,990 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,830 | $42,920 | $32,270 | $60,180 | $35,319 | $36,197 |
| North Dakota | 60 | $42,860 | $37,650 | $59,020 | $36,618 | $41,163 |
| Kansas | 570 | $42,130 | $31,940 | $56,430 | $34,480 | $38,283 |
| Florida | 6,180 | $41,750 | $31,010 | $56,550 | $35,726 | $34,547 |
| Utah | 510 | $41,450 | $31,240 | $53,160 | $34,304 | $34,699 |
| Georgia | 2,570 | $41,000 | $29,740 | $59,710 | $33,826 | $35,128 |
| Ohio | 1,820 | $40,650 | $27,190 | $57,410 | $34,168 | $36,829 |
| Nebraska | 750 | $40,640 | $30,300 | $55,050 | $33,865 | $37,584 |
| Delaware | Not published | $39,940 | $31,200 | $52,730 | $32,572 | $32,635 |
| Virginia | 2,110 | $39,900 | $31,200 | $56,970 | $32,760 | $32,402 |
| Indiana | 1,430 | $39,740 | $32,230 | $61,470 | $32,968 | $35,325 |
| Texas | 11,340 | $39,480 | $27,380 | $61,800 | $33,902 | $34,930 |
| South Carolina | 1,210 | $39,350 | $27,710 | $56,800 | $33,313 | $35,534 |
| Kentucky | 250 | $39,250 | $27,450 | $57,280 | $32,461 | $36,004 |
| Oklahoma | 1,440 | $39,170 | $27,980 | $57,990 | $32,436 | $36,925 |
| Arkansas | 310 | $38,470 | $28,230 | $53,150 | $32,155 | $36,986 |
| Missouri | 1,000 | $38,400 | $29,750 | $57,770 | $32,167 | $35,420 |
| Montana | 410 | $38,370 | $25,150 | $49,660 | $31,964 | $33,772 |
| Alabama | 110 | $38,290 | $30,320 | $61,930 | $31,392 | $35,342 |
| New Mexico | 340 | $37,700 | $25,700 | $52,130 | $31,818 | $34,505 |
| South Dakota | Not published | $36,640 | $31,930 | $37,900 | $31,620 | $35,694 |
| Rhode Island | Not published | $36,400 | $32,390 | $62,840 | $30,279 | $29,604 |
| Guam | Not published | $32,360 | $21,930 | $45,660 | — | — |
| Louisiana | 680 | $32,200 | $20,920 | $44,150 | $27,473 | $31,146 |
| West Virginia | 260 | $31,600 | $26,340 | $47,650 | $26,793 | $29,937 |
| Mississippi | Not published | $31,260 | $25,210 | $44,200 | $26,779 | $30,797 |
| Puerto Rico | 330 | $25,700 | $21,840 | $35,150 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-4071. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.