Court, Municipal, and License Clerks Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for court, municipal, and license clerks in the U.S. is $48,700 ($23.41 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $48,700
- Mean annual wage
- $52,320
- Median hourly wage
- $23.41
- Employment
- 179,750
179,750 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,300 | $17.45 |
| 25th percentile | $40,810 | $19.62 |
| Median (50th) | $48,700 | $23.41 |
| 75th percentile | $60,840 | $29.25 |
| 90th percentile | $73,820 | $35.49 |
Highest-paying states for court, municipal, and license clerks
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $66,130 | 50 |
| Washington | $64,680 | 3,450 |
| California | $63,320 | 12,460 |
| Massachusetts | $61,730 | 4,360 |
| Rhode Island | $61,670 | 660 |
| Oregon | $61,300 | 1,820 |
| Connecticut | $60,480 | 1,300 |
| Maryland | $58,380 | 2,360 |
| Nevada | $56,680 | 1,250 |
| Minnesota | $56,520 | 5,360 |
Lowest-paying states
- Arkansas: $36,960 median annual wage
- Mississippi: $37,210 median annual wage
- West Virginia: $37,810 median annual wage
- Alabama: $38,360 median annual wage
- Oklahoma: $39,120 median annual wage
About this occupation
Perform clerical duties for courts of law, municipalities, or governmental licensing agencies and bureaus. May prepare docket of cases to be called; secure information for judges and court; prepare draft agendas or bylaws for town or city council; answer official correspondence; keep fiscal records and accounts; issue licenses or permits; and record data, administer tests, or collect fees.
Typical tasks
- Train other workers or coordinate their work, as necessary.
- Record and edit the minutes of meetings and distribute to appropriate officials or staff members.
- Evaluate information on applications to verify completeness and accuracy and to determine whether applicants are qualified to obtain desired licenses.
- Examine legal documents submitted to courts for adherence to laws or court procedures.
- Perform record checks on past or current licensees, as required by investigations.
- Coordinate or maintain office tracking systems for correspondence or follow-up actions.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 1.6% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 26.6% |
| Some college, no degree | 29.3% |
| Associate's degree | 14.2% |
| Bachelor's degree | 22.4% |
| Master's degree | 4.5% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 1.3% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.