SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Compile and record employee time and payroll data. May compute employees’ time worked, production, and commission. May compute and post wages and deductions, or prepare paychecks. Excludes “Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks” (43-3031).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 43-3051.
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 | $39,500 | $3,292 | $760 | $18.99 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $47,990 | $3,999 | $923 | $23.07 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $58,260 | $4,855 | $1,120 | $28.01 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $69,600 | $5,800 | $1,338 | $33.46 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $81,350 | $6,779 | $1,564 | $39.11 |
* 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 Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks is $58,260, which is 14% higher. Among the 54 occupations of the field Office and Administrative Support, it ranks number 8 by median pay. With 153,140 jobs, it makes up about 9.8 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks pay by state
The highest median pay was in District of Columbia ($74,670), California ($65,340) and Washington ($64,560). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($34,200), Virgin Islands ($38,100) and Guam ($38,550). The most jobs were in California (20,590), Texas (13,220) and Florida (10,910). The occupation is most concentrated in Oregon, where its share of all jobs is 1.5 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 270 | $74,670 | $76,510 | $35.90 |
| California | 20,590 | $65,340 | $68,580 | $31.41 |
| Washington | 3,560 | $64,560 | $67,810 | $31.04 |
| Colorado | 2,580 | $64,140 | $65,400 | $30.84 |
| Massachusetts | 3,280 | $63,670 | $66,810 | $30.61 |
| New Hampshire | 800 | $63,090 | $64,240 | $30.33 |
| Alaska | 360 | $62,210 | $62,990 | $29.91 |
| Connecticut | 1,540 | $62,200 | $64,880 | $29.91 |
| Hawaii | 700 | $62,070 | $64,260 | $29.84 |
| Illinois | 5,580 | $61,390 | $62,460 | $29.51 |
| Minnesota | 2,790 | $61,320 | $62,620 | $29.48 |
| New York | 8,400 | $61,040 | $63,650 | $29.35 |
| Oregon | 2,890 | $60,980 | $62,260 | $29.32 |
| New Jersey | 4,290 | $60,750 | $62,510 | $29.21 |
| North Dakota | 300 | $60,600 | $61,350 | $29.13 |
| Georgia | 6,720 | $59,990 | $59,510 | $28.84 |
| Maryland | 1,870 | $59,760 | $59,580 | $28.73 |
| Rhode Island | 410 | $59,370 | $61,010 | $28.54 |
| Wisconsin | 2,590 | $59,310 | $59,710 | $28.52 |
| Virginia | 3,400 | $58,250 | $59,810 | $28.01 |
| Nevada | 1,390 | $58,220 | $58,800 | $27.99 |
| Maine | 590 | $57,360 | $59,700 | $27.58 |
| Ohio | 5,820 | $57,270 | $58,530 | $27.54 |
| Kansas | 1,400 | $56,590 | $58,630 | $27.21 |
| Delaware | 320 | $56,430 | $61,460 | $27.13 |
| Utah | 1,590 | $56,430 | $57,810 | $27.13 |
| Michigan | 4,050 | $56,160 | $58,450 | $27.00 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,170 | $55,690 | $56,880 | $26.78 |
| Vermont | 270 | $55,340 | $56,440 | $26.61 |
| Montana | 530 | $55,040 | $57,000 | $26.46 |
| Nebraska | 910 | $54,900 | $57,030 | $26.40 |
| Texas | 13,220 | $54,090 | $55,390 | $26.00 |
| Iowa | 1,230 | $54,080 | $56,960 | $26.00 |
| Missouri | 3,460 | $54,080 | $56,000 | $26.00 |
| Indiana | 4,020 | $53,770 | $55,590 | $25.85 |
| North Carolina | 3,630 | $53,550 | $54,800 | $25.75 |
| New Mexico | 820 | $53,230 | $53,380 | $25.59 |
| Kentucky | 1,670 | $52,890 | $54,510 | $25.43 |
| South Carolina | 1,550 | $52,240 | $54,950 | $25.12 |
| Wyoming | 160 | $51,940 | $54,000 | $24.97 |
| Florida | 10,910 | $51,910 | $55,170 | $24.96 |
| Idaho | 800 | $51,790 | $54,810 | $24.90 |
| Tennessee | 3,680 | $51,780 | $54,220 | $24.89 |
| Louisiana | 2,160 | $50,800 | $51,730 | $24.42 |
| Arizona | 3,540 | $50,210 | $52,140 | $24.14 |
| Oklahoma | 2,470 | $49,920 | $52,030 | $24.00 |
| South Dakota | 370 | $47,680 | $49,730 | $22.92 |
| West Virginia | 580 | $47,460 | $47,820 | $22.82 |
| Alabama | 1,360 | $46,170 | $47,530 | $22.20 |
| Arkansas | 1,220 | $46,110 | $49,750 | $22.17 |
| Mississippi | 1,330 | $45,170 | $47,680 | $21.72 |
| Guam | 60 | $38,550 | $40,000 | $18.53 |
| Virgin Islands | 40 | $38,100 | $42,410 | $18.32 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,040 | $34,200 | $35,760 | $16.44 |
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
- Postal Service Mail Carriers$60,550 a year
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$59,650 a year
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators$58,470 a year
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$55,570 a year
- Desktop Publishers$55,290 a year
- Communications Equipment Operators, All Other$54,680 a year
Common questions
How much do Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks earn in the United States?
The median pay was $58,260 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $39,500 and the highest-paid 10% more than $81,350.
How many people work as Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks?
About 153,140 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.