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.
Teller Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Tellers earn a median of $43,030 per year ($20.69/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 12.9% through 2034, with about 29,800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 43-3071Office and Administrative SupportLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $43,030
- Projected growth
- -12.9%
- Openings a year
- 29,800
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Account Representative, Bank Teller, Branch Operations Specialist, Customer Relationship Specialist, Customer Service Associate (CSA), Financial Services Representative (FSR).
How much do Tellers make?
10th percentile$34,360
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$37,040
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$43,030
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$46,580
Upper quartile
90th percentile$49,680
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $43,030 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $20.69/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $42,350 |
| People employed | 329,480 |
Versus all US occupations
At $43,030, Tellers earn 16% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $7,950 a year.
Versus office and administrative support occupations
Inside the Office and Administrative Support group, where the middle occupation pays $48,500, this is 11% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $49,680 or more while the bottom 10% earn $34,360, a gap of 1.4×. 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 14% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($47,670), but once local prices are taken into account North Carolina leads at $47,527 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Tellers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $47,670 | $44,546 | 9,180 |
| New Jersey | $47,210 | $43,390 | 10,270 |
| California | $46,900 | $42,359 | 25,230 |
| Massachusetts | $46,900 | $44,347 | 7,190 |
| Alaska | $46,770 | $45,692 | 1,020 |
| Connecticut | $46,320 | $44,706 | 3,220 |
| Colorado | $46,060 | $44,696 | 5,370 |
| Maryland | $46,010 | $43,836 | 3,860 |
| District of Columbia | $45,590 | $41,483 | 700 |
| Florida | $45,580 | $44,075 | 14,700 |
Is Teller a growing career?
Tellers-12.9%
All US occupations3.1%
-12.9% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Tellers to change -12.9% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 44,900 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 29,800 openings are projected each year, 8.6% of the 347,400 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
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.
Historically, job growth for tellers was driven by the expansion of bank branches, where most tellers work. However, the number of bank branches has been in decline due to technological change. As more people use online banking tools, such as mobile check deposits, fewer bank customers will visit the teller window. This should result in decreased demand for tellers.
In addition, automation is expected to lead to fewer tellers per bank branch. For example, video kiosks that allow customers to interact with tellers through webcams at ATMs will allow tellers to service a greater number of customers from one location, reducing the number of tellers needed for each bank.
“Enhanced ATMs” are another form of automation technology. These machines are expected to perform an increasing range of customer service and clerical tasks currently done by tellers, such as issuing debit cards or detecting counterfeit currency. The use of these machines will improve teller productivity and allow workers to focus on only the most complex customer service tasks, which in turn is expected to lower demand for these workers.
How to become a Teller
To enter the occupation, tellers typically need a high school diploma; they also may need to pass a background check. Once hired, they receive training 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 tellers.
- High School Diploma73.0%
- Some College Courses9.0%
- Bachelor's Degree8.3%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)5.4%
- Post-Secondary Certificate2.7%
What does a Teller do?
Receive and pay out money. Keep records of money and negotiable instruments involved in a financial institution's various transactions.
Tellers process routine transactions, such as cashing checks and depositing money, at a bank or credit union.
Day-to-day tasks
- Balance currency, coin, and checks in cash drawers at ends of shifts and calculate daily transactions, using computers, calculators, or adding machines.
- Receive checks and cash for deposit, verify amounts, and check accuracy of deposit slips.
- Cash checks and pay out money after verifying that signatures are correct, that written and numerical amounts agree, and that accounts have sufficient funds.
- Enter customers' transactions into computers to record transactions and issue computer-generated receipts.
- Process transactions, such as term deposits, retirement savings plan contributions, automated teller transactions, night deposits, and mail deposits.
- Answer telephones and assist customers with their questions.
- Examine checks for endorsements and to verify other information, such as dates, bank names, identification of the persons receiving payments, and the legality of the documents.
- Prepare and verify cashier's checks.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where tellers work
| Credit intermediation and related activities | 96% |
|---|---|
| Management of companies and enterprises | 1% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.5/5
- Speaking3.3/5
- Reading Comprehension3.1/5
- Critical Thinking3.1/5
- Monitoring3.1/5
- Writing3.0/5
- Mathematics3.0/5
- Active Learning2.9/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
- Service Orientation3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Coordination2.9/5
- Instructing2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Persuasion2.8/5
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Accounting software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Document management software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP 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 Teller?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.3
Investigative1.4
Artistic1.0
Social2.4
Enterprisingprimary4.2
Conventionalprimary6.9
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.
Teller: frequently asked questions
How much do Tellers make?
Tellers earn a median of $43,030 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 16% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $20.69/hr. The middle half earn between $37,040 and $46,580. The top 10% earn $49,680 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Teller?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Tellers. 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, 73.0% hold high school diploma.
Is Teller a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 12.9% over 2024–2034, a loss of 44,900 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 29,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Teller do?
Tellers process routine transactions, such as cashing checks and depositing money, at a bank or credit union. A core O*NET task: balance currency, coin, and checks in cash drawers at ends of shifts and calculate daily transactions, using computers, calculators, or adding machines. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Tellers the most?
The highest state medians for Tellers are Washington ($47,670), New Jersey ($47,210), California ($46,900) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Carolina moves to the top at $47,527.
What personality type suits a Teller?
O*NET scores Tellers highest on the Conventional and Enterprising 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 that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.