CDCareer Decision

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks Career, Salary and Skills

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $45,260 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 816,870. Wage data is published for 447 locations.

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Occupation description

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

Typical education

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

Experience

Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

National salary and employment

Median annual

$45,260

Hourly median

$21.76

Employment

816,870

Data year

2025

National salary distribution

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

Top skills

SkillImportanceLevel
Speaking3.253.00
Reading Comprehension3.123.12
Active Listening3.123.00
Critical Thinking3.003.00
Monitoring3.003.00
Time Management3.002.38
Coordination2.882.88
Social Perceptiveness2.882.50
Complex Problem Solving2.882.25
Judgment and Decision Making2.882.75
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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.
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Technology

  • Accuship Star System
  • ADi SmartBOL
  • AES MailSTAR
  • Aestiva Purchase Order
  • Apple Safari
  • Barcode labeling software
  • Bill of lading software
  • Citrix cloud computing software
  • CMS Consultants WorldLink
  • DM2 Bills of Lading
  • Dydacomp Mail Order Manager
  • Electronic Data Interchange EDI systems
  • Endicia Internet Postage
  • Enterprise Systems RFID Data Management
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Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks salary by location

Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.

All 447 locations →

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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.