Careers · Explore one path
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.
Other titles employers use
Claims Clerk · Clerk · Clerk Typist · Documentation Specialist · File Clerk · Medical Records Clerk · Office Assistant · Police Records Clerk
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to organizing work.
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Service Orientation
Subjects to know
- Administrative
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Law and Government
- Computers and Electronics
Useful strengths
- Information Ordering
- Written Comprehension
- Category Flexibility
- Near Vision
- Oral Comprehension
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.0 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 2.4 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.8 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 2.6 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A two-year degree 39%
- High school or less 30%
- A certificate or some college 23%
- A four-year degree 8%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Document management software
- Electronic mail software
- Accounting software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Presentation software
- Operating system software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 9,600
- Job openings each year
- 1,120
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- −12.7%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 9,600 | 1,120 | −12.7% |
| Texas | 8,350 | 990 | −7.4% |
| Florida | 7,080 | 830 | −10.4% |
| New York | 5,710 | 40 | 8.3% |
| New Jersey | 5,340 | 610 | −15.0% |
| Illinois | 4,070 | 470 | −16.6% |
| Tennessee | 3,160 | 380 | −3.1% |
| Colorado | 2,420 | 290 | −9.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 2,290 | 260 | −16.1% |
| Georgia | 2,060 | 240 | −9.6% |
| Ohio | 2,040 | 230 | −17.1% |
| Michigan | 1,840 | 210 | −18.6% |
| Washington | 1,740 | 230 | 8.1% |
| Oklahoma | 1,690 | 200 | −12.9% |
| Wisconsin | 1,670 | 190 | −12.6% |
| Indiana | 1,610 | 180 | −15.7% |
| Arizona | 1,430 | 170 | −10.1% |
| Virginia | 1,350 | 160 | −13.5% |
| North Carolina | 1,260 | 150 | −10.0% |
| Missouri | 1,190 | 140 | −16.2% |
| South Carolina | 1,090 | 130 | −7.6% |
| Utah | 1,070 | 130 | −3.6% |
| Louisiana | 1,030 | 120 | −15.6% |
| Oregon | 950 | 110 | −13.6% |
| Nevada | 850 | 100 | −11.5% |
| Nebraska | 700 | 80 | −11.4% |
| Kansas | 690 | 80 | −15.9% |
| Maryland | 670 | 80 | −11.8% |
| Minnesota | 670 | 80 | −17.3% |
| Idaho | 620 | 70 | −7.5% |
| Delaware | 590 | 70 | −18.1% |
| Montana | 570 | 70 | −8.1% |
| Mississippi | 520 | 60 | −8.8% |
| Iowa | 460 | 50 | −14.8% |
| Connecticut | 450 | 50 | −13.5% |
| New Mexico | 400 | 50 | −9.1% |
| West Virginia | 380 | 40 | −13.6% |
| Arkansas | 350 | 40 | −10.3% |
| Alaska | 310 | 40 | 6.9% |
| Puerto Rico | 310 | 40 | −8.8% |
| Kentucky | 290 | 30 | −14.7% |
| Massachusetts | 230 | 30 | −14.8% |
| Maine | 190 | 20 | −17.4% |
| District of Columbia | 170 | 20 | −5.6% |
| New Hampshire | 170 | 20 | −10.5% |
| Rhode Island | 130 | 20 | −13.3% |
| North Dakota | 90 | 10 | −18.2% |
| Vermont | 70 | 10 | −12.5% |
| Wyoming | 70 | 10 | — |
| Guam | 60 | 10 | — |
| South Dakota | 50 | 10 | — |
| Virgin Islands | 10 | 0 | −50.0% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Valdosta State University
- Degrees each year
- 22
- Admit rate
- 83%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
Program entryOpen major
Open college FLThe University of Tampa
- Degrees each year
- 16
- Admit rate
- 41%
- Annual cost after aid
- $32,000
Program entryApply after enrollment
Open college MONorthwest Missouri State University
- Degrees each year
- 2
- Admit rate
- 86%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
Program entryApply after enrollment
Open collegeCompare every college offering business operations support and assistant services