File Clerks pay in the U.S.
$45,590avg. a year
$21.92 an hour · 73,440 employed
File Clerks in the U.S. earn an average of $45,590 a year and a median of $43,600. Pay is highest in California ($53,640) and lowest in Louisiana ($33,060).
$43,600Median pay
$21.92Average hourly
+26%Avg. pay since 2020
73,440Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for file clerks
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
19,520 jobs
California
$53,640
$25.79 an hour
23,780 jobs
Illinois
$52,410
$25.20 an hour
3600 jobs
Massachusetts
$51,290
$24.66 an hour
4970 jobs
Oregon
$50,890
$24.47 an hour
5150 jobs
Alaska
$50,840
$24.44 an hour
6100 jobs
Hawaii
$49,040
$23.58 an hour
7520 jobs
Washington
$49,030
$23.57 an hour
8760 jobs
Minnesota
$48,620
$23.38 an hour
9350 jobs
Connecticut
$48,130
$23.14 an hour
101,130 jobs
Colorado
$47,780
$22.97 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.
File Clerks 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 $42k$42k–$44k$44k–$47k$47k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $65,520 | $31.50 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $60,000 | $28.85 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $55,780 | $26.82 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $53,620 | $25.78 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $53,550 | $25.75 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $53,530 | $25.73 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $53,440 | $25.69 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $53,150 | $25.55 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
File Clerks 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 | $43,040 | $38,290 | 110 |
| Alaska | $50,840 | $49,910 | 150 |
| Arizona | $45,070 | $43,690 | 2,190 |
| Arkansas | $40,010 | $38,470 | 310 |
| California | $53,640 | $49,040 | 9,520 |
| Colorado | $47,780 | $46,490 | 1,130 |
| Connecticut | $48,130 | $44,810 | 350 |
| Delaware | $41,320 | $39,940 | – |
| Florida | $42,800 | $41,750 | 6,180 |
| Georgia | $45,010 | $41,000 | 2,570 |
| Hawaii | $49,040 | $50,630 | 100 |
| Idaho | $43,920 | $45,910 | 540 |
| Illinois | $52,410 | $49,920 | 3,780 |
| Indiana | $44,460 | $39,740 | 1,430 |
| Iowa | $47,070 | $46,560 | 430 |
| Kansas | $43,470 | $42,130 | 570 |
| Kentucky | $40,680 | $39,250 | 250 |
| Louisiana | $33,060 | $32,200 | 680 |
| Maine | $44,020 | $43,910 | 210 |
| Maryland | $45,720 | $44,920 | 880 |
| Massachusetts | $51,290 | $48,310 | 600 |
| Michigan | $46,100 | $43,950 | 1,820 |
| Minnesota | $48,620 | $46,640 | 760 |
| Mississippi | $33,300 | $31,260 | – |
| Missouri | $41,390 | $38,400 | 1,000 |
| Montana | $38,250 | $38,370 | 410 |
| Nebraska | $42,400 | $40,640 | 750 |
| Nevada | $46,140 | $44,150 | 1,110 |
| New Hampshire | $44,210 | $44,390 | 300 |
| New Jersey | $47,060 | $44,400 | 2,310 |
| New Mexico | $39,820 | $37,700 | 340 |
| New York | $46,450 | $44,340 | 2,590 |
| North Carolina | $44,130 | $43,260 | 1,970 |
| North Dakota | $46,640 | $42,860 | 60 |
| Ohio | $41,880 | $40,650 | 1,820 |
| Oklahoma | $41,580 | $39,170 | 1,440 |
| Oregon | $50,890 | $50,660 | 970 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,770 | $42,920 | 2,830 |
| Rhode Island | $42,340 | $36,400 | – |
| South Carolina | $40,810 | $39,350 | 1,210 |
| South Dakota | $36,210 | $36,640 | – |
| Tennessee | $43,160 | $43,010 | 2,060 |
| Texas | $42,450 | $39,480 | 11,340 |
| Utah | $41,840 | $41,450 | 510 |
| Vermont | $46,660 | $47,540 | 70 |
| Virginia | $41,980 | $39,900 | 2,110 |
| Washington | $49,030 | $45,830 | 520 |
| West Virginia | $34,380 | $31,600 | 260 |
| Wisconsin | $45,100 | $45,130 | 1,550 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$53,150
3,930 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$47,750
3,260 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$45,110
3,170 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$55,780
2,640 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$45,150
2,580 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$44,200
1,920 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$45,260
1,700 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$48,310
1,640 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do file clerks make?
The average is $45,590 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $43,600 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $21.92, and the median is $20.96 an hour.
Which state pays file clerks the most?
California, with an average of $53,640 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $65,520.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $31,200 a year, and the top 10% earn over $63,490.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 43-4071. 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.