General office clerks
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
General office clerks in the United States earn a median salary of $45,010 per year — about $22 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 2.6M people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of -7%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core duties of this role—data entry, document formatting, scheduling, and information processing—are almost entirely digital and routine, making them highly susceptible to AI automation. While some physical tasks like handling mail or greeting visitors remain, the vast majority of the workload can be absorbed by AI agents and automated software, as reflected in the BLS's projected decline for the occupation.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minot, NDBEST VALUE | $50,160 | Below avg (87.0) | $57,637 |
| Boulder, CO | $59,840 | Above avg (105.2) | $56,881 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | $48,570 | Below avg (86.7) | $56,045 |
| Greeley, CO | $56,030 | Average (100.2) | $55,932 |
| Bismarck, ND | $50,400 | Below avg (91.0) | $55,370 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $55,960 | Average (101.1) | $55,336 |
| Pueblo, CO | $50,670 | Below avg (91.8) | $55,219 |
| Grand Junction, CO | $51,680 | Below avg (95.5) | $54,129 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | $49,060 | Below avg (90.9) | $53,989 |
| Rochester, MN | $48,810 | Below avg (90.8) | $53,743 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $58,840 | Above avg (110.4) | $53,286 |
| St. Cloud, MN | $46,390 | Below avg (87.6) | $52,937 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | $46,820 | Below avg (88.8) | $52,744 |
| Mankato, MN | $47,890 | Below avg (91.0) | $52,652 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | $48,800 | Below avg (92.7) | $52,641 |