Order Clerks Career, Salary and Skills
Order Clerks have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $46,170 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 75,200. Wage data is published for 264 locations.
Occupation description
Receive and process incoming orders for materials, merchandise, classified ads, or services such as repairs, installations, or rental of facilities. Generally receives orders via mail, phone, fax, or other electronic means. Duties include informing customers of receipt, prices, shipping dates, and delays; preparing contracts; and handling complaints.
O*NET code
43-4151.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$46,170
Hourly median
$22.20
Employment
75,200
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.00 | 3.62 |
| Speaking | 3.88 | 3.50 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Service Orientation | 3.50 | 3.25 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Writing | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Mathematics | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Active Learning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
Typical tasks
- Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms.
- Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs.
- Inspect outgoing work for compliance with customers' specifications.
- Receive and respond to customer complaints.
- Check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise.
- Verify customer and order information for correctness, checking it against previously obtained information as necessary.
- Compute total charges for merchandise or services and shipping charges.
- Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
Technology
- Adobe Acrobat
- Apple Safari
- Automated manifest system software
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- Email software
- IBM Sterling Configure, Price, Quote
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Inventory management systems
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Edge
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
Order Clerks salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Order Clerks Salary in CAMedian $47,290 · Employment 12,390
- Order Clerks Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $46,590 · Employment 5,740
- Order Clerks Salary in TXMedian $44,280 · Employment 5,180
- Order Clerks Salary in WAMedian $47,990 · Employment 4,300
- Order Clerks Salary in New York, NYMedian $47,820 · Employment 4,120
- Order Clerks Salary in OHMedian $46,120 · Employment 3,810
- Order Clerks Salary in ILMedian $47,670 · Employment 3,540
- Order Clerks Salary in NYMedian $48,320 · Employment 3,530
- Order Clerks Salary in FLMedian $44,380 · Employment 3,270
- Order Clerks Salary in NCMedian $46,060 · Employment 2,990
- Order Clerks Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $47,890 · Employment 2,970
- Order Clerks Salary in NJMedian $46,270 · Employment 2,640
Related careers
- Correspondence ClerksNational median $46,800
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales WorkersNational median $87,520
- Purchasing ManagersNational median $148,080
- Driver/Sales WorkersNational median $38,770
- Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm ProductsNational median not published
- Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal ServiceNational median $39,280
- Advertising Sales AgentsNational median $64,820
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm ProductsNational median not published
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.