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.
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks earn a median of $45,260 per year ($21.76/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 7.7% through 2034, with about 69,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 43-5071Office and Administrative SupportLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $45,260
- Projected growth
- -7.7%
- Openings a year
- 69,300
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Materials Control Associate, Order Fulfillment Specialist, Receiver, Receiving Associate, Receiving Clerk, Receiving Coordinator.
How much do Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks make?
10th percentile$34,650
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$38,200
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$45,260
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$51,570
Upper quartile
90th percentile$62,190
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $45,260 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $21.76/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $46,810 |
| People employed | 816,870 |
Versus all US occupations
At $45,260, Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks earn 11% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $5,720 a year.
Versus office and administrative support occupations
Inside the Office and Administrative Support group, where the middle occupation pays $48,500, this is 7% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $62,190 or more while the bottom 10% earn $34,650, a gap of 1.8×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 17% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($51,590), but once local prices are taken into account Iowa leads at $54,226 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $51,590 | $48,209 | 19,500 |
| District of Columbia | $49,660 | $45,186 | 680 |
| Hawaii | $49,660 | $45,166 | 1,390 |
| Massachusetts | $49,240 | $46,560 | 14,370 |
| Vermont | $49,080 | $50,103 | 780 |
| New Hampshire | $47,960 | $46,042 | 4,090 |
| Alaska | $47,900 | $46,796 | 890 |
| Minnesota | $47,890 | $48,560 | 13,210 |
| Iowa | $47,590 | $54,226 | 7,170 |
| Oregon | $47,540 | $45,994 | 11,210 |
Is Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk a growing career?
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks-7.7%
All US occupations3.1%
-7.7% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks to change -7.7% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 66,300 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 69,300 openings are projected each year, 8.0% of the 862,200 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of material recording clerks is projected to grow 6 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.
As e-commerce continues to grow, companies are expanding their use of automated storage and retrieval tools to meet rising demand for products and for faster delivery. These types of technologies, including radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and collaborative robots, will improve the efficiency of many warehouse operations, reducing demand for various material recording clerks.
How to become a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk
Material recording clerks typically need a high school diploma or equivalent and are trained 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 | Short-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 shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks.
- High School Diploma74.9%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)11.9%
- Bachelor's Degree10.8%
- Some College Courses1.9%
- Post-Secondary Certificate0.5%
What does a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk do?
Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory. Duties include verifying and recording incoming merchandise or material and arranging for the transportation of products. May prepare items for shipment.
Material recording clerks track product information in order to keep businesses and supply chains on schedule. They ensure proper scheduling, recordkeeping, and inventory control.
Day-to-day tasks
- Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy.
- Confer or correspond with establishment representatives to rectify problems, such as damages, shortages, or nonconformance to specifications.
- Record shipment data, such as weight, charges, space availability, damages, or discrepancies, for reporting, accounting, or recordkeeping purposes.
- Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock.
- Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials.
- Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter.
- Contact carrier representatives to make arrangements or to issue instructions for shipping and delivery of materials.
- Determine shipping methods, routes, or rates for materials to be shipped.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Speaking3.3/5
- Reading Comprehension3.1/5
- Active Listening3.1/5
- Critical Thinking3.0/5
- Monitoring3.0/5
- Writing2.6/5
- Active Learning2.4/5
- Mathematics2.3/5
Transferable skills
- Time Management3.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.9/5
- Coordination2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Persuasion2.8/5
- Service Orientation2.6/5
- Instructing2.5/5
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Internet browser software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Access software
- Accounting software
- Compliance software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Document 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 Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary4.0
Investigative1.2
Artistic1.0
Social1.4
Enterprisingprimary3.1
Conventionalprimary7.0
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
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.
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk: frequently asked questions
How much do Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks make?
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks earn a median of $45,260 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 11% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $21.76/hr. The middle half earn between $38,200 and $51,570. The top 10% earn $62,190 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory 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 Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 74.9% hold high school diploma.
Is Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 7.7% over 2024–2034, a loss of 66,300 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 69,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk do?
Material recording clerks track product information in order to keep businesses and supply chains on schedule. A core O*NET task: examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software, Internet browser software.
Which states pay Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks the most?
The highest state medians for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks are Washington ($51,590), District of Columbia ($49,660), Hawaii ($49,660) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Iowa moves to the top at $54,226.
What personality type suits a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk?
O*NET scores Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks highest on the Conventional, Realistic and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.