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

Order Clerks fall under the Office and Administrative Support category in the U.S. occupational classification. Order Clerks earn a median salary of $44,660 per year, ranking in the top 78% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -17.2% 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 order clerks earn?

The median annual wage for order clerks is $44,660. That puts order clerks at #630 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.

Is order clerks a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for order clerks is -17.2%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 89K positions in 2024 to 74K in 2034, a net change of -15K. 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 order clerks do every day?

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

1. 1.Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms.
2. 2.Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs.
3. 3.Check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise.
4. 4.Verify customer and order information for correctness, checking it against previously obtained information as necessary.
5. 5.Compute total charges for merchandise or services and shipping charges.
6. 6.File copies of orders received, or post orders on records.
7. 7.Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
8. 8.Notify departments when supplies of specific items are low, or when orders would deplete available supplies.

Top skills for order clerks

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

What education does my child need to become order clerk?

Many order 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.

Related careers your child might also consider

• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
  $74,260 median
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
  $66,140 median
• Brokerage Clerks
  $62,940 median
• Postal Service Clerks
  $61,630 median
• Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
  $57,770 median
• Postal Service Mail Carriers
  $57,490 median

Common questions parents ask about order clerks