Office Machine Operators, Except Computer vs Order Clerks: $41K vs $46K Median Pay

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer vs Order Clerks: what changes?

Consider Office Machine Operators, Except Computer if you want to operate one or more of a variety of office machines, such as photocopying, photographic, and duplicating machines, or other office machines. Consider Order Clerks if you would rather receive and process incoming orders for materials, merchandise, classified ads, or services such as repairs, installations, or rental of facilities. Entry credentials differ: Office Machine Operators, Except Computer, high school diploma or equivalent; Order Clerks, some college, no degree.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Office Machine Operators, Except Computer and Order Clerks. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer

National median pay (2025): $40,960
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Read job orders to determine the type of work to be done, the quantities to be produced, and the materials needed.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,100

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 14.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Office Machine Operators, Except Computer brief

Order Clerks

National median pay (2025): $46,170
Route into the job: Some college, no degree; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 6,300

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 17.5% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Order Clerks brief

How the national numbers differ

Order Clerks has the edge on annual openings

Order Clerks is at 6,300 annual openings, compared with 2,100 annual openings for Office Machine Operators, Except Computer.

Order Clerks has the edge on median pay

Order Clerks is at $46,170, compared with $40,960 for Office Machine Operators, Except Computer.

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer has the edge on projected growth

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer is at -14.9% projected growth, compared with -17.5% projected growth for Order Clerks.

26.4/ 100

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer

35.5/ 100

Order Clerks

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer vs Order Clerks

Dimension	Office Machine Operators, Except Computer	Order Clerks
Median pay (2025)	$40,960	$46,170
Pay percentile	12.2 percentile	20.7 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-14.9%	-17.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,100	6,300
2025 employment	25,800	78,900
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	Some college, no degree; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Office Machine Operators, Except Computer brief Read Order Clerks brief

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer vs Order Clerks: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer

Order Clerks

How the national numbers differ

Order Clerks has the edge on annual openings

Order Clerks has the edge on median pay

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer has the edge on projected growth

Office Machine Operators, Except Computer vs Order Clerks

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Office Machine Operators, Except Computer vs Office Clerks, General

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