File Clerks
Also called Clerk, File Clerk, Office Assistant, or Records Clerk
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What File Clerks do
You keep an organization's paperwork and digital records in order, so anyone who needs a document can actually find it.
File clerks are the people who make sure records stay findable. You sort paperwork and computer files by name, number, date, or category, add new material, and pull documents when someone asks for them. You also log what came in and what went out, make copies, and clear out old files by destroying them or moving them to long-term storage, following the rules your workplace or the law requires. Some of what you handle is confidential, so care matters.
The job mixes quiet focus with steady contact. You spend stretches on your own sorting and scanning, then answer phones, reply to email, and talk with coworkers who need something fast. You are part of an office team, usually seated indoors in a climate-controlled building.
A day in the life
You start by collecting materials that departments have dropped off or sent over. You read each item quickly to decide where it belongs, then stamp or assign an identification code and file it in order. Someone calls needing a record from three years back, so you search, find it, copy it, and get it to them. You log what you pulled. Email brings a few more requests. Between them, you type up a short report, process mail, and answer questions from coworkers who cannot find something. In the afternoon you work through a box of outdated files, shredding some and boxing the rest for storage. A deadline for one department means you prioritize their batch first.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Like putting things in order and keeping them that way
- ✓Can stay accurate when a request is urgent
- ✓Enjoy short helpful conversations mixed with quiet focused work
- ✓Read carefully enough to know where a document belongs
- ✓Handle private information without talking about it
You might not like it if you…
- –Need physical movement instead of sitting indoors most of the day
- –Get bored doing similar sorting and logging tasks daily
- –Want a field that is expanding, since the number of file clerk jobs is projected to fall about 15.8% between 2025 and 2035, while jobs overall grow about 3.5%
- –Dislike being interrupted by phone calls and requests while concentrating
How people get in
- 1Finish high school or an equivalent, which is the typical education employers expect.
- 2Build comfort with computers, typing, email, and basic office software, since records are often digital as well as paper.
- 3Practice clear reading, writing, and speaking, because you will explain what is in a file and write accurate logs.
- 4Look for entry-level office or front-desk jobs, including temporary and part-time roles, to get experience handling paperwork, records, and other routine office tasks.
- 5Consider a short office-skills course, such as a general office occupations and clerical services program, if you want more preparation before applying.
- 6Expect short-term on-the-job training once hired, where you learn that employer's filing system and privacy rules.
Who tends to enjoy it
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
Helping
People who like teaching, caring for, and working closely with people.
Official task list
File Clerks file correspondence, cards, invoices, receipts, and other records in alphabetical or numerical order or according to the filing system used. Locate and remove material from file when requested. (O*NET)
- Perform general office activities, such as typing, answering telephones, operating office machines, processing mail, or securing confidential materials.
- Keep records of materials filed or removed, using logbooks or computers and generate computerized reports.
- Gather materials to be filed from departments or employees.
- 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.
- Sort or classify information according to guidelines, such as content, purpose, user criteria, or chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order.
- Scan or read incoming materials to determine how and where they should be classified or filed.
- Eliminate outdated or unnecessary materials, destroying them or transferring them to inactive storage, according to file maintenance guidelines or legal requirements.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Service Orientation
What you'll need to know
- Administrative
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Law and Government
- Computers and Electronics
How much File Clerks make
The median pay for File Clerks in the U.S. is $43,600 a year ($20.96 an hour). Most earn between $31,200 and $63,490. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in Oregon ($50,660) and lowest in Puerto Rico ($25,700).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,290 | 110 |
| Alaska | $49,910 | 150 |
| Arizona | $43,690 | 2,190 |
| Arkansas | $38,470 | 310 |
| California | $49,040 | 9,520 |
| Colorado | $46,490 | 1,130 |
| Connecticut | $44,810 | 350 |
| Delaware | $39,940 | — |
| Florida | $41,750 | 6,180 |
| Georgia | $41,000 | 2,570 |
| Guam | $32,360 | — |
| Hawaii | $50,630 | 100 |
| Idaho | $45,910 | 540 |
| Illinois | $49,920 | 3,780 |
| Indiana | $39,740 | 1,430 |
| Iowa | $46,560 | 430 |
| Kansas | $42,130 | 570 |
| Kentucky | $39,250 | 250 |
| Louisiana | $32,200 | 680 |
| Maine | $43,910 | 210 |
| Maryland | $44,920 | 880 |
| Massachusetts | $48,310 | 600 |
| Michigan | $43,950 | 1,820 |
| Minnesota | $46,640 | 760 |
| Mississippi | $31,260 | — |
| Missouri | $38,400 | 1,000 |
| Montana | $38,370 | 410 |
| Nebraska | $40,640 | 750 |
| Nevada | $44,150 | 1,110 |
| New Hampshire | $44,390 | 300 |
| New Jersey | $44,400 | 2,310 |
| New Mexico | $37,700 | 340 |
| New York | $44,340 | 2,590 |
| North Carolina | $43,260 | 1,970 |
| North Dakota | $42,860 | 60 |
| Ohio | $40,650 | 1,820 |
| Oklahoma | $39,170 | 1,440 |
| Oregon | $50,660 | 970 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,920 | 2,830 |
| Puerto Rico | $25,700 | 330 |
| Rhode Island | $36,400 | — |
| South Carolina | $39,350 | 1,210 |
| South Dakota | $36,640 | — |
| Tennessee | $43,010 | 2,060 |
| Texas | $39,480 | 11,340 |
| Utah | $41,450 | 510 |
| Vermont | $47,540 | 70 |
| Virginia | $39,900 | 2,110 |
| Washington | $45,830 | 520 |
| West Virginia | $31,600 | 260 |
| Wisconsin | $45,130 | 1,550 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- General Office Occupations and Clerical Services 187 colleges
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 43-4071.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 43-4071. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.