Pay by state · 51 states
File Clerk Salary by State (2026)
File Clerks earn the most in Oregon at $50,660 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $25,700 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $43,600. All 51 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $50,660Oregon
- National median
- $43,600BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $25,700Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 51of 54 OEWS areas
All states
File Clerk salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of file clerks OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OROregon | $50,660 | $40,390 | $61,000 | 970 | $49,013 |
| 2 | HIHawaii | $50,630 | $38,060 | $50,990 | 100 | $46,048 |
| 3 | ILIllinois | $49,920 | $38,600 | $63,700 | 3,780 | $49,941 |
| 4 | AKAlaska | $49,910 | $40,300 | $60,310 | 150 | $48,760 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $49,040 | $39,780 | $62,440 | 9,520 | $44,292 |
| 6 | MAMassachusetts | $48,310 | $42,990 | $56,400 | 600 | $45,680 |
| 7 | VTVermont | $47,540 | $36,150 | $54,140 | 70 | $48,531 |
| 8 | MNMinnesota | $46,640 | $44,180 | $52,350 | 760 | $47,292 |
| 9 | IAIowa | $46,560 | $37,570 | $55,940 | 430 | $53,053 |
| 10 | COColorado | $46,490 | $39,200 | $55,120 | 1,130 | $45,113 |
| 11 | IDIdaho | $45,910 | $38,210 | $48,580 | 540 | $48,076 |
| 12 | WAWashington | $45,830 | $42,770 | $52,940 | 520 | $42,827 |
| 13 | WIWisconsin | $45,130 | $35,400 | $50,850 | 1,550 | $47,962 |
| 14 | MDMaryland | $44,920 | $36,110 | $51,990 | 880 | $42,798 |
| 15 | CTConnecticut | $44,810 | $34,400 | $56,290 | 350 | $43,249 |
| 16 | NJNew Jersey | $44,400 | $37,620 | $52,700 | 2,310 | $40,807 |
| 17 | NHNew Hampshire | $44,390 | $36,410 | $50,020 | 300 | $42,615 |
| 18 | NYNew York | $44,340 | $39,160 | $51,530 | 2,590 | $41,086 |
| 19 | NVNevada | $44,150 | $35,630 | $52,920 | 1,110 | $44,159 |
| 20 | MIMichigan | $43,950 | $37,050 | $53,630 | 1,820 | $45,678 |
| 21 | MEMaine | $43,910 | $39,380 | $47,250 | 210 | $45,245 |
| 22 | AZArizona | $43,690 | $38,550 | $48,080 | 2,190 | $43,396 |
| 23 | NCNorth Carolina | $43,260 | $36,880 | $50,210 | 1,970 | $45,862 |
| 24 | TNTennessee | $43,010 | $36,420 | $49,030 | 2,060 | $46,816 |
| 25 | PAPennsylvania | $42,920 | $38,370 | $49,750 | 2,830 | $43,988 |
| 26 | NDNorth Dakota | $42,860 | $40,920 | $48,220 | 60 | $48,179 |
| 27 | KSKansas | $42,130 | $37,690 | $49,180 | 570 | $46,776 |
| 28 | FLFlorida | $41,750 | $36,110 | $47,780 | 6,180 | $40,372 |
| 29 | UTUtah | $41,450 | $35,890 | $46,160 | 510 | $41,926 |
| 30 | GAGeorgia | $41,000 | $34,710 | $53,830 | 2,570 | $42,578 |
| 31 | OHOhio | $40,650 | $31,400 | $48,730 | 1,820 | $43,816 |
| 32 | NENebraska | $40,640 | $35,850 | $48,810 | 750 | $45,104 |
| 33 | DEDelaware | $39,940 | $35,350 | $46,190 | N/A | $40,017 |
| 34 | VAVirginia | $39,900 | $34,000 | $47,940 | 2,110 | $39,464 |
| 35 | INIndiana | $39,740 | $36,100 | $49,980 | 1,430 | $42,581 |
| 36 | TXTexas | $39,480 | $33,000 | $49,080 | 11,340 | $40,677 |
| 37 | SCSouth Carolina | $39,350 | $35,170 | $46,770 | 1,210 | $41,974 |
| 38 | KYKentucky | $39,250 | $30,470 | $46,280 | 250 | $43,534 |
| 39 | OKOklahoma | $39,170 | $34,510 | $48,670 | 1,440 | $44,591 |
| 40 | ARArkansas | $38,470 | $32,130 | $46,830 | 310 | $44,250 |
| 41 | MOMissouri | $38,400 | $32,940 | $46,790 | 1,000 | $42,283 |
| 42 | MTMontana | $38,370 | $32,130 | $44,550 | 410 | $40,541 |
| 43 | ALAlabama | $38,290 | $32,250 | $46,800 | 110 | $43,108 |
| 44 | NMNew Mexico | $37,700 | $36,120 | $45,450 | 340 | $40,884 |
| 45 | SDSouth Dakota | $36,640 | $36,640 | $37,290 | N/A | $41,361 |
| 46 | RIRhode Island | $36,400 | $33,870 | $50,020 | N/A | $35,589 |
| 47 | GUGuam | $32,360 | $27,900 | $40,260 | N/A | N/A |
| 48 | LALouisiana | $32,200 | $24,960 | $38,690 | 680 | $36,505 |
| 49 | WVWest Virginia | $31,600 | $26,360 | $39,670 | 260 | $35,308 |
| 50 | MSMississippi | $31,260 | $28,080 | $37,790 | N/A | $35,950 |
| 51 | PRPuerto Rico | $25,700 | $23,900 | $29,780 | 330 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For File Clerks, that changes the ranking: Oregon leads on raw pay at $50,660, while Iowa leads once prices are taken into account at $53,053.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
File Clerk pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays File Clerks the most?
Oregon reports the highest median wage for File Clerks at $50,660 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Hawaii ($50,630) and Illinois ($49,920).
Which state pays File Clerks the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for File Clerks at $25,700 a year, $24,960 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do File Clerks earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Iowa first at $53,053 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $46,560. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.