Office & Admin
Payroll Clerks
SOC 43-3051
Make sure everyone gets paid correctly and on time.
The job
Median pay
$58k
$48k to $70k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Declining
-16% projected
Openings a year
11k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school
Our model
AI displacement risk
High
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
3/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
60th pct
More exposed than 60% of occupations · modeled estimate · 73rd pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
29/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Mathematics
- Writing
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 20,590 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $65k |
| Texas | 13,220 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $54k |
| Florida | 10,910 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $52k |
| New York | 8,400 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $61k |
| Georgia | 6,720 | 1.4 | 1.4× | $60k |
| Ohio | 5,820 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $57k |
| Illinois | 5,580 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $61k |
| Pennsylvania | 5,170 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $56k |
| New Jersey | 4,290 | 1.0 | 1.0× | $61k |
| Michigan | 4,050 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $56k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 4,020 | 1.3 | 1.3× | $54k |
| Tennessee | 3,680 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $52k |
| North Carolina | 3,630 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $54k |
| Washington | 3,560 | 1.0 | 1.0× | $65k |
| Arizona | 3,540 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $50k |
| Missouri | 3,460 | 1.2 | 1.2× | $54k |
| Virginia | 3,400 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $58k |
| Massachusetts | 3,280 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $64k |
| Oregon | 2,890 | 1.5 | 1.5× | $61k |
| Minnesota | 2,790 | 0.9 | 1.0× | $61k |
| Wisconsin | 2,590 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $59k |
| Colorado | 2,580 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $64k |
| Oklahoma | 2,470 | 1.4 | 1.5× | $50k |
| Louisiana | 2,160 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $51k |
| Maryland | 1,870 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $60k |
| Kentucky | 1,670 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $53k |
| Utah | 1,590 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $56k |
| South Carolina | 1,550 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $52k |
| Connecticut | 1,540 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $62k |
| Kansas | 1,400 | 1.0 | 1.0× | $57k |
| Nevada | 1,390 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $58k |
| Alabama | 1,360 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $46k |
| Mississippi | 1,330 | 1.1 | 1.2× | $45k |
| Iowa | 1,230 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $54k |
| Arkansas | 1,220 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $46k |
| Nebraska | 910 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $55k |
| New Mexico | 820 | 0.9 | 1.0× | $53k |
| Idaho | 800 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $52k |
| New Hampshire | 800 | 1.2 | 1.2× | $63k |
| Hawaii | 700 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $62k |
| Maine | 590 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $57k |
| West Virginia | 580 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $47k |
| Montana | 530 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $55k |
| Rhode Island | 410 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $59k |
| South Dakota | 370 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $48k |
| Alaska | 360 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $62k |
| Delaware | 320 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $56k |
| North Dakota | 300 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $61k |
| Washington DC | 270 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $75k |
| Vermont | 270 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $55k |
| Wyoming | 160 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $52k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ7,770 jobs · $64k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA6,600 jobs · $65k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA4,260 jobs · $63k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN4,170 jobs · $63k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX3,800 jobs · $60k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX3,260 jobs · $54k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL2,750 jobs · $57k median
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ2,650 jobs · $50k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Payroll Clerks interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.