Clergy pay in the U.S.
$66,860avg. a year
$32.15 an hour · 57,200 employed
Clergy in the U.S. earn an average of $66,860 a year and a median of $60,810. Pay is highest in California ($87,150) and lowest in West Virginia ($51,130).
$60,810Median pay
$32.15Average hourly
+18%Avg. pay since 2020
57,200Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for clergy
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
17,110 jobs
California
$87,150
$41.90 an hour
21,060 jobs
Washington
$81,460
$39.16 an hour
37,790 jobs
New York
$73,790
$35.48 an hour
4840 jobs
Massachusetts
$73,510
$35.34 an hour
5900 jobs
Connecticut
$72,100
$34.66 an hour
6310 jobs
District of Columbia
$71,770
$34.51 an hour
7210 jobs
Nevada
$71,420
$34.34 an hour
8120 jobs
North Dakota
$70,050
$33.68 an hour
950 jobs
Vermont
$68,540
$32.95 an hour
101,070 jobs
Arizona
$68,350
$32.86 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Clergy pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $58k$58k–$61k$61k–$66k$66k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $85,010 | $40.87 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $80,410 | $38.66 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $78,400 | $37.69 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $77,970 | $37.49 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $77,870 | $37.44 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $77,750 | $37.38 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $75,780 | $36.43 |
| New Haven, CT | $75,640 | $36.36 |
Related jobs
- Directors, Religious Activities and Education$62,100
- Religious Workers, All Other$53,870
- Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$64,440
- Social and Human Service Assistants$47,690
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers$64,000
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$71,430
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Clergy pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $53,790 | $50,180 | 850 |
| Alaska | $54,750 | $55,780 | 150 |
| Arizona | $68,350 | $61,900 | 1,070 |
| Arkansas | $52,160 | $49,070 | 350 |
| California | $87,150 | $77,710 | 7,110 |
| Colorado | $66,160 | $63,700 | 440 |
| Connecticut | $72,100 | $63,470 | 900 |
| Delaware | $65,850 | $63,260 | 120 |
| District of Columbia | $71,770 | $64,800 | 310 |
| Florida | $59,110 | $56,940 | 3,560 |
| Georgia | $60,880 | $60,530 | 1,380 |
| Hawaii | $63,040 | $61,050 | 720 |
| Idaho | $57,470 | $59,570 | 150 |
| Illinois | $62,490 | $61,820 | 2,200 |
| Indiana | $58,400 | $59,020 | 1,060 |
| Iowa | $60,200 | $60,630 | 370 |
| Kansas | $51,970 | $52,130 | 450 |
| Kentucky | $58,370 | $58,920 | 410 |
| Louisiana | $54,690 | $54,140 | 400 |
| Maine | $64,070 | $64,340 | 160 |
| Maryland | $63,980 | $61,620 | 670 |
| Massachusetts | $73,510 | $72,190 | 840 |
| Michigan | $55,620 | $56,490 | 1,880 |
| Minnesota | $61,870 | $61,230 | 1,160 |
| Mississippi | $56,880 | $52,450 | 250 |
| Missouri | $60,750 | $58,740 | 920 |
| Montana | $63,190 | $59,550 | 680 |
| Nebraska | $57,610 | $57,520 | 270 |
| Nevada | $71,420 | $73,910 | 210 |
| New Hampshire | $67,750 | $65,200 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $65,740 | $65,500 | 1,460 |
| New Mexico | $66,370 | $64,100 | 270 |
| New York | $73,790 | $58,580 | 7,790 |
| North Carolina | $61,130 | $59,600 | 1,430 |
| North Dakota | $70,050 | $60,680 | 120 |
| Ohio | $58,320 | $59,160 | 2,020 |
| Oklahoma | $60,710 | $59,110 | 510 |
| Oregon | $68,130 | $63,140 | 3,850 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,480 | $58,300 | 2,150 |
| Rhode Island | $58,750 | $59,660 | 230 |
| South Carolina | $58,590 | $56,630 | 450 |
| South Dakota | $60,180 | $59,860 | 140 |
| Tennessee | $58,550 | $57,260 | 710 |
| Texas | $62,430 | $59,480 | 3,180 |
| Vermont | $68,540 | $64,950 | 50 |
| Virginia | $57,350 | $55,430 | 1,220 |
| Washington | $81,460 | $80,830 | 1,060 |
| West Virginia | $51,130 | $48,460 | 290 |
| Wisconsin | $63,730 | $60,950 | 770 |
| Wyoming | $61,240 | $61,590 | 40 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$77,870
6,110 jobsPortland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
$69,890
1,750 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$63,640
1,690 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$80,410
1,130 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$62,340
990 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$63,380
950 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$64,650
920 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
$69,180
890 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do clergy make?
The average is $66,860 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $60,810 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $32.15, and the median is $29.24 an hour.
Which state pays clergy the most?
California, with an average of $87,150 a year. The best-paying metro area is Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA at $85,010.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $37,860 a year, and the top 10% earn over $98,890.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 21-2011. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.