Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks vs Procurement Clerks: $58K vs $51K Median Pay

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks vs Procurement Clerks: what changes?

Consider Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks if you want to compile and record employee time and payroll data. Consider Procurement Clerks if you would rather compile information and records to draw up purchase orders for procurement of materials and services. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks and Procurement 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

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

National median pay (2025): $58,260
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months 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: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 11,400

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 15.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks brief

Procurement Clerks

National median pay (2025): $50,580
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months 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: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 3,700

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 8.1% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Procurement Clerks brief

How the national numbers differ

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks has the edge on annual openings

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks is at 11,400 annual openings, compared with 3,700 annual openings for Procurement Clerks.

Typical preparation differs.

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Procurement Clerks: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks has the edge on median pay

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks is at $58,260, compared with $50,580 for Procurement Clerks.

Procurement Clerks has the edge on projected growth

Procurement Clerks is at -8.1% projected growth, compared with -15.9% projected growth for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks.

41.1/ 100

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

37.6/ 100

Procurement 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

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks vs Procurement Clerks

Dimension	Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks	Procurement Clerks
Median pay (2025)	$58,260	$50,580
Pay percentile	44.2 percentile	34 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-15.9%	-8.1%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	11,400	3,700
2025 employment	159,600	56,900
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	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	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months 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 Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks brief Read Procurement Clerks brief

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks vs Procurement Clerks: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

Procurement Clerks

How the national numbers differ

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks has the edge on annual openings

Typical preparation differs.

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks has the edge on median pay

Procurement Clerks has the edge on projected growth

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks vs Procurement Clerks

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