Runs local elections: voter registration, polling places, poll workers, ballots, voting equipment and the official count. BLS does not publish separate figures for court, municipal, and license clerks; it counts them within court, municipal, and license clerk (SOC 43-4031), whose median pay is $48,700 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 43-4031
- Office and Administrative Support
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Election Administrator in four numbers
- Median pay
- $48,700a year, or $23.41/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $36KTop 10% $74K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.4%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 17,100187,000 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025187K
- Projected 2035193.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 187K Projected 2035 193.3K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Elections Director, Election Official, Registrar of Voters, Elections Supervisor, Election Specialist.
Pay
How much do Court, Municipal, and License Clerks make?
Every election administrator in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$48,700
Middle half earn $40,810 to $60,840
- 10th
- $36,300
- 25th
- $40,810
- 75th
- $60,840
- 90th
- $73,820
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $36,300 |
| 25th | $40,810 |
| Median | $48,700 |
| 75th | $60,840 |
| 90th | $73,820 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- 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 $49,230.
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 20% of the 1,741 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.
Pay by state
Which states pay Court, Municipal, and License Clerks the most?
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.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $66,130 | $60,172 | 50 |
| 2Washington | $64,680 | $60,441 | 3,450 |
| 3California | $63,320 | $57,189 | 12,460 |
| 4Massachusetts | $61,730 | $58,370 | 4,360 |
| 5Rhode Island | $61,670 | $60,295 | 660 |
| 6Oregon | $61,300 | $59,307 | 1,820 |
| 7Connecticut | $60,480 | $58,373 | 1,300 |
| 8Maryland | $58,380 | $55,622 | 2,360 |
| 9Nevada | $56,680 | $56,692 | 1,250 |
| 10Minnesota | $56,520 | $57,310 | 5,360 |
Job outlook
Is Election Administrator a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Court, Municipal, and License Clerks | +3.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Court, Municipal, and License Clerks to change 3.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 6,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 17,100 openings are projected each year, 9.1% of the 187,000 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Election Administrator
Many election administrators are appointed or hired, while others are elected county clerks or registrars. A bachelor's degree in public administration or political science helps, but many start as election clerks or seasonal staff and work their way up.
The Election Center offers the Certified Elections/Registration Administrator program, delivered with Auburn University, and many states run their own training for election officials. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission publishes guidance on voting systems and administration. Working as a poll worker is a common first step.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does an Election Administrator do?
Election administrators make elections happen at the county or city level. Between elections, they maintain voter rolls, process registrations, redraw precinct maps after redistricting, test and maintain voting equipment, and plan budgets. Before each election they design and proof ballots, recruit and train poll workers, secure polling places, and run mail and early voting.
On election night they oversee tabulation, then run canvasses, audits and recounts before certifying results. Administrators also handle candidate filings, answer public and media questions, and protect systems against cyber threats with help from state and federal partners. In many places they also face intense public scrutiny.
Day-to-day tasks
- Maintain voter registration rolls
- Recruit, train and assign poll workers
- Design and proof ballots for each election
- Test, secure and maintain voting equipment
- Manage mail, early and election day voting
- Oversee tabulation, audits and recounts
- Certify official election results
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Administrators work in county or city election offices and warehouses. Workloads follow the election calendar, with very long days leading up to and after elections. The job requires precision under deadlines and calm under public pressure, and some officials have faced harassment.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Writing3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Active Learning2.8
- Learning Strategies2.4
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.8 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 2.8 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Service Orientation3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Complex Problem Solving2.6
- Systems Analysis2.6
- Management of Personnel Resources2.4
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.6 |
| Systems Analysis | 2.6 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 2.4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
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.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Election Administrator?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code CES) built on O*NET's Court, Municipal, and License Clerk profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Election Administrator |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 2 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 5 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Conventional6.2
- Enterprising4.6
- Social4.0
- Realistic2.0
- Investigative1.9
- Artistic1.1
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.
Explore further
Careers related to Election Administrator
O*NET related occupations
- Office and Administrative Support
- Office and Administrative Support
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant
$55,570median a year
Most earn $37K to $92K
−5.2%High school - Business and Financial Operations
- Office and Administrative Support
- Legal
- Legal
More office and administrative support careers
Median annual pay, with court, municipal, and license clerks highlighted
- Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant$76,590
- Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$55,570
- Public Safety Telecommunicator$53,040
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk$50,670
- Human Resources Assistant, Except Payroll and Timekeeping$50,610
- Election Administrator$48,700
- Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540
- Teller$43,030
- Receptionist and Information Clerk$38,010
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant | $76,590 |
| Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant | $55,570 |
| Public Safety Telecommunicator | $53,040 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk | $50,670 |
| Human Resources Assistant, Except Payroll and Timekeeping | $50,610 |
| Election Administrator | $48,700 |
| Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $47,540 |
| Teller | $43,030 |
| Receptionist and Information Clerk | $38,010 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Election Administrator appears on
Questions
Election Administrator: frequently asked questions
How much do Court, Municipal, and License Clerks make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for court, municipal, and license clerks. It counts them within court, municipal, and license clerk, whose median pay is $48,700 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $40,810 and $60,840, and the top 10% earn $73,820 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Election Administrator?
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.
Is Election Administrator a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.4% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 17,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Election Administrator do?
Election administrators make elections happen at the county or city level. A typical task: maintain voter registration rolls. 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 an Election Administrator?
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 1,731 careers in the bank.