SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visit to solicit payment. Duties include receiving payment and posting amount to customer’s account, preparing statements to credit department if customer fails to respond, initiating repossession proceedings or service disconnection, and keeping records of collection and status of accounts.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 43-3011.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $34,400 | $2,867 | $662 | $16.54 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $39,010 | $3,251 | $750 | $18.76 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $47,030 | $3,919 | $904 | $22.61 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $56,740 | $4,728 | $1,091 | $27.28 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $65,580 | $5,465 | $1,261 | $31.53 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Bill and Account Collectors is $47,030, which is 8% lower. Among the 54 occupations of the field Office and Administrative Support, it ranks number 32 by median pay. With 158,830 jobs, it makes up about 10 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Bill and Account Collectors pay by state
The highest median pay was in District of Columbia ($62,230), Alaska ($60,810) and Massachusetts ($59,800). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($25,570), Guam ($37,320) and Mississippi ($37,680). The most jobs were in Texas (21,720), California (13,880) and Florida (13,180). The occupation is most concentrated in Puerto Rico, where its share of all jobs is 3.0 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 240 | $62,230 | $69,760 | $29.92 |
| Alaska | 310 | $60,810 | $57,550 | $29.24 |
| Massachusetts | 2,510 | $59,800 | $59,710 | $28.75 |
| California | 13,880 | $57,930 | $59,590 | $27.85 |
| Connecticut | 900 | $57,930 | $58,640 | $27.85 |
| Vermont | 80 | $57,630 | $58,210 | $27.71 |
| Hawaii | 180 | $53,570 | $53,770 | $25.76 |
| New Jersey | 3,310 | $52,510 | $56,010 | $25.25 |
| Rhode Island | 370 | $52,000 | $55,770 | $25.00 |
| Oregon | 830 | $50,880 | $53,820 | $24.46 |
| Colorado | 1,670 | $50,090 | $51,900 | $24.08 |
| Maryland | 2,090 | $50,010 | $53,360 | $24.04 |
| Minnesota | 2,860 | $49,580 | $52,310 | $23.84 |
| Wisconsin | 2,570 | $49,090 | $51,030 | $23.60 |
| Maine | 410 | $48,890 | $51,280 | $23.51 |
| Nevada | 2,350 | $48,750 | $49,560 | $23.44 |
| Washington | 2,260 | $48,460 | $52,300 | $23.30 |
| Kentucky | 1,740 | $48,330 | $49,340 | $23.24 |
| Illinois | 5,080 | $48,140 | $50,550 | $23.14 |
| Arizona | 6,300 | $47,740 | $49,640 | $22.95 |
| New York | 8,800 | $47,170 | $51,890 | $22.68 |
| Michigan | 2,990 | $47,130 | $48,390 | $22.66 |
| Delaware | 990 | $46,680 | $49,330 | $22.44 |
| North Dakota | 270 | $46,660 | $46,000 | $22.43 |
| Pennsylvania | 6,680 | $46,660 | $49,020 | $22.43 |
| South Dakota | 1,120 | $46,620 | $45,750 | $22.42 |
| New Mexico | 440 | $46,560 | $47,010 | $22.38 |
| Florida | 13,180 | $46,410 | $47,920 | $22.31 |
| Georgia | 5,280 | $46,300 | $46,940 | $22.26 |
| Ohio | 6,620 | $46,230 | $47,020 | $22.23 |
| Iowa | 830 | $46,000 | $49,760 | $22.12 |
| Kansas | 1,350 | $45,760 | $50,180 | $22.00 |
| Texas | 21,720 | $45,710 | $46,170 | $21.97 |
| Montana | 640 | $45,420 | $46,940 | $21.84 |
| Indiana | 2,690 | $45,240 | $45,830 | $21.75 |
| Utah | 2,430 | $45,240 | $45,490 | $21.75 |
| Oklahoma | 1,740 | $44,820 | $46,830 | $21.55 |
| New Hampshire | 1,120 | $44,450 | $48,140 | $21.37 |
| West Virginia | 670 | $43,960 | $43,890 | $21.14 |
| Virginia | 4,590 | $43,770 | $45,920 | $21.04 |
| Nebraska | 730 | $43,210 | $43,940 | $20.78 |
| South Carolina | 4,430 | $43,140 | $44,250 | $20.74 |
| North Carolina | 5,460 | $42,910 | $42,730 | $20.63 |
| Wyoming | 180 | $42,110 | $42,960 | $20.25 |
| Idaho | 510 | $41,880 | $46,130 | $20.14 |
| Missouri | 3,770 | $41,760 | $43,960 | $20.08 |
| Tennessee | 3,890 | $40,920 | $43,550 | $19.68 |
| Alabama | 2,090 | $40,330 | $43,410 | $19.39 |
| Louisiana | 1,690 | $39,130 | $40,980 | $18.81 |
| Arkansas | 850 | $39,110 | $40,860 | $18.80 |
| Mississippi | 1,150 | $37,680 | $40,570 | $18.11 |
| Guam | 70 | $37,320 | $35,270 | $17.94 |
| Puerto Rico | 2,850 | $25,570 | $27,460 | $12.29 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Meter Readers, Utilities$48,150 a year
- New Accounts Clerks$47,670 a year
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540 a year
- Correspondence Clerks$46,800 a year
- Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping$46,380 a year
- Order Clerks$46,170 a year
Common questions
How much do Bill and Account Collectors earn in the United States?
The median pay was $47,030 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $34,400 and the highest-paid 10% more than $65,580.
How many people work as Bill and Account Collectors?
About 158,830 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.