Bill and account collectors
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Bill and account collectors in the United States earn a median salary of $47,030 per year — about $23 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 167K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of -10%.
AI & Automation Risk
This occupation is almost entirely digital, consisting of data analysis, skip tracing, and communication via phone or computer. AI and automated systems are already driving a projected 10% decline in employment by handling routine notifications and payment processing, while advanced LLMs are increasingly capable of managing the negotiation and customer service aspects of debt collection.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CABEST VALUE | $77,360 | Above avg (110.4) | $70,058 |
| Napa, CA | $77,160 | Above avg (112.6) | $68,554 |
| Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | $62,460 | Below avg (96.0) | $65,089 |
| Rochester, MN | $58,370 | Below avg (90.8) | $64,269 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $72,430 | Above avg (115.6) | $62,649 |
| Visalia, CA | $60,310 | Average (99.8) | $60,416 |
| Kenosha, WI | $60,690 | Average (101.1) | $60,019 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $64,970 | Above avg (108.6) | $59,827 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $59,690 | Average (100.9) | $59,129 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $59,330 | Average (102.7) | $57,744 |
| New Haven, CT | $60,330 | Above avg (104.6) | $57,699 |
| Anchorage, AK | $60,430 | Above avg (105.4) | $57,323 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | $49,440 | Below avg (86.5) | $57,186 |
| Fresno, CA | $58,330 | Average (102.2) | $57,098 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | $49,150 | Below avg (86.1) | $57,095 |