Loan Interviewers and Clerks: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)

Office and Administrative Support · SOC 43-4131 · O*NET 43-4131.00

Median salary
$48,950
Rank #530 of ~830 BLS occupations
10-year growth
-2.3%
2024–2034, declining
Employment
173.1M
BLS 2024
Projected 2034
173K
BLS projection
Official O*NET description

Interview loan applicants to elicit information; investigate applicants' backgrounds and verify references; prepare loan request papers; and forward findings, reports, and documents to appraisal department. Review loan papers to ensure completeness, and complete transactions between loan establishment, borrowers, and sellers upon approval of loan.

Loan Interviewers and Clerks fall under the Office and Administrative Support category in the U.S. occupational classification. Loan Interviewers and Clerks earn a median salary of $48,950 per year, ranking in the top 65% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -2.3% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.

What do loan interviewers and clerks earn?

The median annual wage for loan interviewers and clerks is $48,950. That puts loan interviewers and clerks at #530 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.

Full salary distribution (national, BLS 2024)
10th percentile (entry-level)$36,360
25th percentile$42,720
50th percentile (median)$48,950
75th percentile$59,520
90th percentile (top earners)$65,910
Median hourly wage$23.53/hr

Is loan interviewers and clerks a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for loan interviewers and clerks is -2.3%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 177K positions in 2024 to 173K in 2034, a net change of -4K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.

What do loan interviewers and clerks do every day?

According to O*NET task surveys of working loan interviewers and clerks, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.

  1. 1.Verify and examine information and accuracy of loan application and closing documents.
  2. 2.Record applications for loan and credit, loan information, and disbursements of funds, using computers.
  3. 3.Submit loan applications with recommendation for underwriting approval.
  4. 4.Contact customers by mail, telephone, or in person concerning acceptance or rejection of applications.
  5. 5.Present loan and repayment schedules to customers.
  6. 6.Review customer accounts to determine whether payments are made on time and that other loan terms are being followed.
  7. 7.Calculate, review, and correct errors on interest, principal, payment, and closing costs, using computers or calculators.
  8. 8.File and maintain loan records.

Top skills for loan interviewers and clerks

O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.

Active Listening
4.1
Speaking
4.0
Reading Comprehension
3.9
Critical Thinking
3.8
Writing
3.6
Complex Problem Solving
3.5
Active Learning
3.4

What education does my child need to become loan interviewers and clerk?

Many loan interviewers and clerks enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.

Actual education levels of working loan interviewers and clerks

Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.

High school diploma
42.9%
Bachelor's degree
38.3%
Post-secondary certificate
12.1%
Associate's degree
6.7%
Some college courses
0.1%

Related careers your child might also consider

How parents help teens explore careers like this

Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.

Common questions parents ask about loan interviewers and clerks

What is the median salary for loan interviewers and clerks?

The median annual salary for loan interviewers and clerks is $48,950 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Is loan interviewers and clerks a growing career?

BLS projects -2.3% growth for loan interviewers and clerks from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.

What education does my child need to become loan interviewers and clerk?

The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.

What careers are similar to loan interviewers and clerks?

Related occupations within the Office and Administrative Support category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.

Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.