State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Court, Municipal, and License Clerk Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks earn a median of $48,700 per year ($23.41/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 3.0% through 2034, with about 18,500 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 43-4031Office and Administrative SupportLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $48,700
- Projected growth
- +3.0%
- Openings a year
- 18,500
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: City Clerk, City Recorder, Court Clerk, License Clerk, License Specialist, Motor Vehicle Field Representative (MVFR).
How much do Court, Municipal, and License Clerks make?
10th percentile$36,300
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$40,810
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$48,700
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$60,840
Upper quartile
90th percentile$73,820
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $48,700 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $23.41/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $52,320 |
| People employed | 179,750 |
Versus all US occupations
At $48,700, Court, Municipal, and License Clerks earn 4% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $2,280 a year.
Versus office and administrative support occupations
The median is typical for the Office and Administrative Support group, where the middle occupation pays $48,500.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $73,820 or more while the bottom 10% earn $36,300, a gap of 2.0×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 26% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($66,130), but once local prices are taken into account North Dakota leads at $60,534 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Court, Municipal, and License Clerks the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $66,130 | $60,172 | 50 |
| Washington | $64,680 | $60,441 | 3,450 |
| California | $63,320 | $57,189 | 12,460 |
| Massachusetts | $61,730 | $58,370 | 4,360 |
| Rhode Island | $61,670 | $60,295 | 660 |
| Oregon | $61,300 | $59,307 | 1,820 |
| Connecticut | $60,480 | $58,373 | 1,300 |
| Maryland | $58,380 | $55,622 | 2,360 |
| Nevada | $56,680 | $56,692 | 1,250 |
| Minnesota | $56,520 | $57,310 | 5,360 |
Is Court, Municipal, and License Clerk a growing career?
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks3.0%
All US occupations3.1%
+3.0% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Court, Municipal, and License Clerks to change 3.0% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 5,500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 18,500 openings are projected each year, 10.3% of the 180,400 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of information clerks is projected to grow 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of information clerks varies by occupation (see table).
The increased use of online ordering and self-service systems will limit demand for some of these workers, such as order clerks and human resources assistants.
How to become a Court, Municipal, and License Clerk
Information clerks typically need a high school diploma and learn their skills on the job.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Long-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as court, municipal, and license clerks.
- High School Diploma50.0%
- Some College Courses17.7%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)13.1%
- Bachelor's Degree10.4%
- First Professional Degree3.4%
What does a Court, Municipal, and License Clerk do?
Perform clerical duties for courts of law, municipalities, or governmental licensing agencies and bureaus. May prepare docket of cases to be called; secure information for judges and court; prepare draft agendas or bylaws for town or city council; answer official correspondence; keep fiscal records and accounts; issue licenses or permits; and record data, administer tests, or collect fees.
Information clerks do routine clerical tasks such as maintaining records, collecting data, and providing information to customers.
Day-to-day tasks
- Answer questions or provide advice to the public regarding licensing policies, procedures, or regulations.
- Answer inquiries from the general public regarding judicial procedures, court appearances, trial dates, adjournments, outstanding warrants, summonses, subpoenas, witness fees, or payment of fines.
- Perform administrative tasks, such as answering telephone calls, filing court documents, or maintaining office supplies or equipment.
- Respond to requests for information from the public, other municipalities, state officials, or state and federal legislative offices.
- Question applicants to obtain required information, such as name, address, or age, and record data on prescribed forms.
- Perform general office duties, such as taking or transcribing dictation, typing or proofreading correspondence, distributing or filing official forms, or scheduling appointments.
- Record case dispositions, court orders, or arrangements made for payment of court fees.
- Research information in the municipal archives upon request of public officials or private citizens.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.6/5
- Speaking3.6/5
- Reading Comprehension3.4/5
- Writing3.4/5
- Critical Thinking3.3/5
- Monitoring3.0/5
- Active Learning2.6/5
- Learning Strategies2.5/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.3/5
- Service Orientation3.1/5
- Time Management3.1/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.9/5
- Management of Personnel Resources2.8/5
- Systems Analysis2.5/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Video conferencing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Data base reporting software
- Information retrieval or search software
- Project management software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Court, Municipal, and License Clerk?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.0
Investigative1.9
Artistic1.1
Socialprimary3.5
Enterprisingprimary4.2
Conventionalprimary6.2
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Court, Municipal, and License Clerk: frequently asked questions
How much do Court, Municipal, and License Clerks make?
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks earn a median of $48,700 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 4% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $23.41/hr. The middle half earn between $40,810 and $60,840. The top 10% earn $73,820 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Court, Municipal, and License Clerk?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks. BLS also lists long-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 50.0% hold high school diploma.
Is Court, Municipal, and License Clerk a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.0% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 18,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Court, Municipal, and License Clerk do?
Information clerks do routine clerical tasks such as maintaining records, collecting data, and providing information to customers. A core O*NET task: answer questions or provide advice to the public regarding licensing policies, procedures, or regulations. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Document management software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Court, Municipal, and License Clerks the most?
The highest state medians for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks are District of Columbia ($66,130), Washington ($64,680), California ($63,320) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $60,534.
What personality type suits a Court, Municipal, and License Clerk?
O*NET scores Court, Municipal, and License Clerks highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Social interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.