Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)

Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks fall under the Office and Administrative Support category in the U.S. occupational classification. Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks earn a median salary of $57,770 per year, ranking in the top 53% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -1.8% 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 production, planning, and expediting clerks earn?

The median annual wage for production, planning, and expediting clerks is $57,770. That puts production, planning, and expediting clerks at #429 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 production, planning, and expediting clerks a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for production, planning, and expediting clerks is -1.8%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 388K positions in 2024 to 381K in 2034, a net change of -7K. 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 production, planning, and expediting clerks do every day?

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

1. 1.Revise production schedules when required due to design changes, labor or material shortages, backlogs, or other interruptions, collaborating with management, marketing, sales, production, or engineering.
2. 2.Review documents, such as production schedules, work orders, or staffing tables, to determine personnel or materials requirements or material priorities.
3. 3.Plan production commitments or timetables for business units, specific programs, or jobs, using sales forecasts.
4. 4.Arrange for delivery, assembly, or distribution of supplies or parts to expedite flow of materials and meet production schedules.
5. 5.Confer with department supervisors or other personnel to assess progress and discuss needed changes.
6. 6.Distribute production schedules or work orders to departments.
7. 7.Compile information, such as production rates and progress, materials inventories, materials used, or customer information, so that status reports can be completed.
8. 8.Confer with establishment personnel, vendors, or customers to coordinate production or shipping activities and to resolve complaints or eliminate delays.

Top skills for production, planning, and expediting 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 production, planning, and expediting clerk?

Many production, planning, and expediting 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
• Postal Service Mail Carriers
  $57,490 median
• Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
  $56,530 median

Common questions parents ask about production, planning, and expediting clerks