Tellers Career, Salary and Skills
Tellers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $43,030 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 329,480. Wage data is published for 444 locations.
Occupation description
Receive and pay out money. Keep records of money and negotiable instruments involved in a financial institution's various transactions.
O*NET code
43-3071.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$43,030
Hourly median
$20.69
Employment
329,480
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Speaking | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Service Orientation | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Writing | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Mathematics | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Time Management | 3.00 | 2.88 |
Typical tasks
- Receive checks and cash for deposit, verify amounts, and check accuracy of deposit slips.
- Monitor bank vaults to ensure cash balances are correct.
- Cash checks and pay out money after verifying that signatures are correct, that written and numerical amounts agree, and that accounts have sufficient funds.
- Count currency, coins, and checks received, by hand or using currency-counting machine, to prepare them for deposit or shipment to branch banks or the Federal Reserve Bank.
- Enter customers' transactions into computers to record transactions and issue computer-generated receipts.
- Examine checks for endorsements and to verify other information, such as dates, bank names, identification of the persons receiving payments, and the legality of the documents.
- Resolve problems or discrepancies concerning customers' accounts.
- Balance currency, coin, and checks in cash drawers at ends of shifts and calculate daily transactions, using computers, calculators, or adding machines.
Technology
- Email software
- Hyland Software OnBase
- IBM Notes
- Information Technology Incorporated Premier Teller
- Jack Henry & Associates Vertex
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Exchange
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Word
- Sage 50 Accounting
Tellers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Tellers Salary in TXMedian $38,050 · Employment 25,860
- Tellers Salary in CAMedian $46,900 · Employment 25,230
- Tellers Salary in ILMedian $38,670 · Employment 16,960
- Tellers Salary in New York, NYMedian $47,230 · Employment 15,820
- Tellers Salary in NYMedian $44,400 · Employment 15,040
- Tellers Salary in PAMedian $40,200 · Employment 14,800
- Tellers Salary in FLMedian $45,580 · Employment 14,700
- Tellers Salary in OHMedian $39,810 · Employment 13,890
- Tellers Salary in MIMedian $39,240 · Employment 13,420
- Tellers Salary in NJMedian $47,210 · Employment 10,270
- Tellers Salary in MOMedian $36,650 · Employment 10,030
- Tellers Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $44,540 · Employment 9,930
Related careers
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- Payroll and Timekeeping ClerksNational median $58,260
- Counter and Rental ClerksNational median $41,300
- Office Clerks, GeneralNational median $45,010
- Accountants and AuditorsNational median $83,680
- Gambling Cage WorkersNational median $37,580
- Financial ManagersNational median $166,570
- Loan OfficersNational median $76,690
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.