Office and Administration · Career brief

File Clerks

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

File Clerks at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$43,600

Lower national median pay

2025 national median. Bottom quarter for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

-15.8%

Projected employment decline

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Bottom quarter for growth among careers on ChooseField.

3Openings

5,600

Moderate opening volume

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for openings.

4Route in

High school

A four-year degree is not the typical entry route

High school diploma or equivalent. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

Structured / detail

Accuracy, process, and organized information matter

Perform general office activities, such as typing, answering telephones, operating office machines, processing mail, or securing confidential materials.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

BLS projects employment to shrink 15.8% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

ChooseField take

The national benchmarks are mixed, so the work itself and the route in matter more than any standout pay or demand signal. It makes the most sense if structured, detail-oriented work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a high-school entry path. Main tradeoff: BLS projects employment to shrink 15.8% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

Before choosing, compare:Office Machine Operators, Except Computer Court, Municipal, and License Clerks Loan Interviewers and Clerks

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare File Clerks with another field Explore rankings in Office and Administration Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$43,600

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

-15.8%employment growth5,600openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

76,200

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · File clerks (43-4071).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Perform general office activities, such as typing, answering telephones, operating office machines, processing mail, or securing confidential materials.
Find, retrieve, and make copies of information from files in response to requests and deliver information to authorized users.
Add new material to file records or create new records as necessary.
Assign and record or stamp identification numbers or codes to index materials for filing.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

BLS projects employment to shrink 15.8% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.
Deadline pressure is a recurring condition rather than an occasional emergency.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Working with Computers4.6
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.5
Processing Information4.5
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.3
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.3

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Conventional7.0
Realistic2.4
Social2.1
Enterprising1.8
Investigative1.3
Artistic1.0

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Law and Government Computers and Electronics Telecommunications Mathematics

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Work through a realistic case with incomplete information: make a recommendation, show the numbers behind it, and defend the tradeoffs.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe File clerks nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

BLS does not assign a related-experience requirement to the occupation. Employers may still ask for placements, supervised practice, a portfolio, or experience with particular tools. Check entry-level vacancies separately from experienced roles.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options