Data Entry Clerk: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
10% of data entry clerks earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $31,200
- Hourly
- $15.00
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of data entry clerks earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $35,760
- Hourly
- $17.19
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of data entry clerks earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $41,340
- Hourly
- $19.88
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of data entry clerks earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $48,410
- Hourly
- $23.27
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of data entry clerks earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $58,790
- Hourly
- $28.26
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Data Entry Clerks operate data entry device, such as keyboard or photo composing perforator. The median pay is $41,340 a year ($19.88 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).
- Median pay
- $41,340
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 127,080
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 1-2 of 5
- very little to some preparation
Data Government data groups this job as Data Entry Keyers (O*NET-SOC 43-9021.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
Data Entry Clerks at a glance
Data entry keyers in the United States earned a median annual wage of $41,340 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for data entry keyers in the United States.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS projects employment of data entry keyers in the United States to decline 25.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,700 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS estimated that 127,080 people were employed as data entry keyers in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Every page for Data Entry Clerks
What data entry clerks do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Locate and correct data entry errors, or report them to supervisors.
- Compile, sort, and verify the accuracy of data before it is entered.
- Compare data with source documents, or re-enter data in verification format to detect errors.
- Store completed documents in appropriate locations.
- Select materials needed to complete work assignments.
Industries that employ it
Data Share of all data entry clerk jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).
- Professional, scientific, and technical services19.4% of all jobs in this occupation · -23.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $43,260
- Administrative and support services15.6% of all jobs in this occupation · -28.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $39,580
- Educational services; state, local, and private5.8% of all jobs in this occupation · -29.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $43,170
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals5.8% of all jobs in this occupation · -27.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $50,080
- Ambulatory healthcare services5.2% of all jobs in this occupation · -23.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $41,920
- Insurance carriers and related activities4.8% of all jobs in this occupation · -24.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $46,590
Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: English Language, Administrative, Customer and Personal Service, Law and Government.
Software data entry clerks use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- Electronic medical record EMR softwareMedical software
- Google DriveCloud-based data access and sharing software
- Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCSMedical software
- Medical condition coding softwareMedical software
- Medical procedure coding softwareMedical software
- Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareIn demand
- Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareIn demand
- Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareIn demand
- Microsoft WordWord processing softwareIn demand
- Google DocsWord processing softwareHot technology
- Intuit QuickBooksAccounting softwareHot technology
- Microsoft AccessData base user interface and query softwareHot technology
Also called: Data Capture Specialist, Data Entry Machine Operator, Data Entry Operator, Data Entry Specialist, Data Transcriber.
Similar careers to explore
How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.