Order Clerks: Career Profile
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.
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What Tasks Do Order Clerks Take On?
The core tasks performed by order clerks span:
- Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
- 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.
Skills and Knowledge
Effective order clerks combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Ad Taker (Advertising Taker)
- Advertising Clerk (Ad Clerk)
- Advertising Space Clerk (Ad Space Clerk)
- Back Order Clerk
- Blood Bank Credit Clerk
- Blood Bank Order Control Clerk
- Catalogue Clerk
- Classified Ad Clerk (Classified Advertisement Clerk)
Job Outlook
There are roughly 1,253,974 order clerks working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -0.5% over the projection horizon.
Order Clerks Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $58,253 |
| Hourly median | $28.01 |
| 10th percentile | $34,439 |
| 25th percentile | $46,346 |
| 75th percentile | $70,160 |
| 90th percentile | $82,067 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Order Clerks Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $54,350 |
| Vermont | $49,810 |
| New Hampshire | $49,200 |
| Oregon | $48,530 |
| Rhode Island | $48,080 |
| District of Columbia | $47,930 |
| Colorado | $47,100 |
| Minnesota | $47,020 |
| New York | $47,010 |
| Washington | $46,740 |
| California | $46,620 |
| Montana | $46,490 |
| Arizona | $46,210 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,020 |
| South Dakota | $45,900 |
| Maine | $45,700 |
| Hawaii | $45,410 |
| Michigan | $45,100 |
| Illinois | $44,790 |
| Ohio | $44,780 |
| Maryland | $44,490 |
| Florida | $44,450 |
| Alabama | $44,260 |
| West Virginia | $44,160 |
| Oklahoma | $44,110 |
| New Jersey | $43,850 |
| Indiana | $43,360 |
| North Carolina | $42,910 |
| Connecticut | $42,860 |
| Wisconsin | $42,660 |
| Nevada | $42,410 |
| Missouri | $41,970 |
| Utah | $41,960 |
| Kansas | $41,880 |
| Iowa | $41,790 |
| Georgia | $41,600 |
| Mississippi | $41,500 |
| Alaska | $41,110 |
| Virginia | $41,090 |
| South Carolina | $40,560 |
| Idaho | $40,530 |
| Arkansas | $40,130 |
| Nebraska | $40,060 |
| Texas | $39,960 |
| Delaware | $39,770 |
| Kentucky | $39,660 |
| Tennessee | $38,890 |
| New Mexico | $37,350 |
| Louisiana | $35,360 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,850 |
Where Order Clerks Earn the Most
Compensation for order clerks vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $48,921 | 3.6% | 0.83 |
| Far Western US | $46,483 | 24.8% | 1.64 |
| Middle Atlantic | $45,419 | 14.3% | 1.05 |
| Rocky Mountains | $45,130 | 3.6% | 1.01 |
| Great Lakes | $44,394 | 17.4% | 1.26 |
| Plains States | $43,137 | 5.2% | 0.85 |
| Southeast | $41,814 | 19.2% | 0.85 |
| Southwest | $41,480 | 11.6% | 1.14 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Order Clerks
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $59,940 | 560 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $57,270 | 950 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $54,620 | 110 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | VT | $51,300 | |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $51,180 | 1,460 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | MO | $50,900 | 760 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | CO | $50,850 | 120 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | CT | $50,760 | 190 |
Which Industries Hire Order Clerks
The largest employers of order clerks work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Trade | 22,920 | $46,630 |
| Retail Trade | 16,470 | $42,270 |
| Manufacturing | 14,120 | $46,350 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 7,170 | $43,920 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 7,150 | $44,100 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4,170 | $46,910 |
| Information | 2,250 | $50,330 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 2,180 | $46,330 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Order Clerks Use
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Internet browser software: Apple Safari (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Internet browser software: Microsoft Edge (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Internet browser software: Mozilla Firefox (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for order clerks tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
Getting Started in This Career
Most order clerks positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Purchasing Managers (Supplemental)
- Postmasters and Mail Superintendents (Supplemental)
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products (Supplemental)
- Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products (Supplemental)
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers (Supplemental)
- Cashiers (Supplemental)
- Counter and Rental Clerks (Primary-Long)
- Advertising Sales Agents (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Aspiring order clerks typically earn programs in:
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
3 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 43-4151.00 (Order Clerks).
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