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Role hub · Receptionists and Information Clerks

Receptionist: 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.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of receptionists earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$38,010
Hourly
$18.27
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Receptionists answer inquiries and provide information to the general public, customers, visitors, and other interested parties regarding activities conducted at establishment and location of departments, offices, and employees within the organization. The median pay is $38,010 a year ($18.27 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (49% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$38,010
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
910,180
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 2 of 5
some preparation
Most common education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
49% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Receptionists and Information Clerks (O*NET-SOC 43-4171.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for Receptionists

SalaryReceptionist salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →ResumeReceptionist resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsReceptionist interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What receptionists do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Operate telephone switchboard to answer, screen, or forward calls, providing information, taking messages, or scheduling appointments.
  2. Greet persons entering establishment, determine nature and purpose of visit, and direct or escort them to specific destinations.
  3. Receive payment and record receipts for services.
  4. Schedule appointments and maintain and update appointment calendars.
  5. Transmit information or documents to customers, using computer, mail, or facsimile machine.
  6. Hear and resolve complaints from customers or the public.
  7. File and maintain records.
  8. Provide information about establishment, such as location of departments or offices, employees within the organization, or services provided.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

SpeakingcoreActive ListeningcoreService OrientationcoreSocial PerceptivenessReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingCoordinationWritingTime Management

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language, Computers and Electronics.

Tools and technology

Software receptionists use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Billing softwareBilling and invoicing software
  • Electronic health record EHR softwareMedical software
  • GE Healthcare Centricity EMRMedical software
  • Google DriveCloud-based data access and sharing software
  • HMSTime accounting software
  • Intrado SchoolMessengerMobile messaging service software
  • Kodak Dental Systems Kodak SOFTDENT Practice management software PMSMedical software
  • McKesson LytecMedical software
  • Medical condition coding softwareMedical software
  • Medical procedure coding softwareMedical software
  • Microsoft PublisherDesktop publishing software
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareIn demand

Also called: Clerk Specialist, Front Desk Receptionist, Greeter, Information Assistant (Info Assistant), Medical Receptionist, Member Services Representative (Member Services Rep).

Method

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 correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. 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.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).