Careers / Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$45,260

United States, 2025

Employment

816,870

United States, 2025

Typical education

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory. Duties include verifying and recording incoming merchandise or material and arranging for the transportation of products. May prepare items for shipment.

O*NET code
43-5071.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

Typical tasks

  • Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy.
  • Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock.
  • Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials.
  • Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter.
  • Record shipment data, such as weight, charges, space availability, damages, or discrepancies, for reporting, accounting, or recordkeeping purposes.
  • Confer or correspond with establishment representatives to rectify problems, such as damages, shortages, or nonconformance to specifications.
  • Deliver or route materials to departments using handtruck, conveyor, or sorting bins.
  • Contact carrier representatives to make arrangements or to issue instructions for shipping and delivery of materials.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$34,650
10th
$38,200
25th
$45,260
Median
$51,570
75th
$62,190
90th

10th percentile

$34,650

25th percentile

$38,200

75th percentile

$51,570

90th percentile

$62,190

Most important skills

  • Speaking3.3
  • Active Listening3.1
  • Reading Comprehension3.1
  • Time Management3.0
  • Critical Thinking3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Social Perceptiveness2.9
  • Complex Problem Solving2.9
  • Coordination2.9
  • Judgment and Decision Making2.9
  • Persuasion2.8
  • Service Orientation2.6

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 6 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

6

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Speaking3.33.0Not selected3.0
Reading Comprehension3.13.1Not selected3.1
Active Listening3.13.0Not selected3.0
Critical Thinking3.03.0Not selected3.0
Monitoring3.03.0Not selected3.0
Time Management3.02.4Not selected2.4

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Seattle, WA$56,37012,5202025
Walla Walla, WA$55,9601502025
Kahului, HI$55,9501202025
Napa, CA$55,5203302025
Bremerton, WA$54,9102902025
San Jose, CA$54,6404,2102025
Fairbanks, AK$53,0801102025
San Francisco, CA$52,5907,7902025
Longview, WA$51,7403302025
WA$51,59019,5002025
Burlington, VT$51,4203202025
Urban Honolulu, HI$50,5301,0702025
Boston, MA$49,98010,1402025
Albany, OR$49,8202902025
Cheyenne, WY$49,7801602025
DC$49,6606802025
HI$49,6601,3902025
Lewiston, ME$49,5302702025
Sheboygan, WI$49,4604802025
Jonesboro, AR$49,3905402025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.