Office and administrative support
Order clerk
Receive and process incoming orders for materials, merchandise, classified ads, or services such as repairs, installations, or rental of facilities. Generally receives orders via mail, phone, fax, or other electronic means. Duties include informing customers of receipt, prices, shipping dates, and delays; preparing contracts; and handling complaints.
Median pay
$46,170
Growth to 2035
−17%
declining
Openings a year
6,300
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Order clerk
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Some college, no degree
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Order clerk: 35% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
- Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms.
- Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs.
- Inspect outgoing work for compliance with customers' specifications.
- Receive and respond to customer complaints.
- Check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise.
- Verify customer and order information for correctness, checking it against previously obtained information as necessary.
- Compute total charges for merchandise or services and shipping charges.
Also called: Hub Associate · Materials Specialist · Order Analyst · Order Clerk · Order Entry Administrator (Order Entry Admin) · Order Entry Representative (Order Entry Rep) · Order Processing Clerk · Order Taker
Outlook and AI
Order clerks held 78,900 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 65,100 by 2035 (−17%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Capital/labor substitution - share decreases as establishments continue to adopt automated order-taking systems.
Compare with
- Order clerk vs. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks
- Order clerk vs. Postal service clerk
- Order clerk vs. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Order clerk vs. Customer service representative
- Order clerk vs. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Order clerk vs. Procurement clerk
- Order clerk vs. Counter and rental clerks
- Order clerk vs. Stockers and order fillers
- Order clerk vs. Billing and posting clerks
- Order clerk vs. Office clerks, general