SalaryExplorer

SOC 43-4071 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

File Clerks — Allentown

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ · 10 metro areas compared

$43,080 /year
$20.71per hour
140jobs in area
−1.2%vs US median

At $43,080, median pay for File Clerks in Allentown, PA tracks the national median of $43,600 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $43,60010TH$29,55025TH$36,270MEDIAN$43,08075TH$48,21090TH$59,010

How pay has moved

$49,893$24,5582019202020212022202320242025$43,080
$29,830 in 2019 to $43,080 in 2025, +44.4% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-15.9%
Openings per year
7,300
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $43,080, median pay for File Clerks in Allentown, PA tracks the national median of $43,600 closely. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $36,270 and $48,210. The lowest tenth earn under $29,550, while the highest tenth earn more than $59,010.

Employment stands at 140, or 0.4 jobs per thousand held locally. Harrisburg leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $48,800. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 422nd of 516 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$29,550−32.2%
25th$36,270−16.8%
Median (50th)$43,080−1.2%
75th$48,210+10.6%
90th$59,010+35.3%
Mean$43,050−1.3%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Pennsylvania

Median annual wage for File Clerks, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Harrisburg$48,800180
2State College$48,28060
3Philadelphia$45,9801,440
4York$43,68050
5Lancaster$43,54090
6Pittsburgh$42,920680
7Reading$41,61070
8Erie$40,15080
9Chambersburg$39,73040
10Scranton$39,430100

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Allentown sit close to the national average, so $43,080 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.

Published median

$43,080as reported by BLS

Local price level

100.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$43,080US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $43,080 a year, 1.2% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $29,550 to $59,010 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 140 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Harrisburg, at $48,800.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for File Clerks in Allentown, PA?

The median annual wage is $43,080, or $20.71 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $43,600, so pay in Allentown, PA is 1.2% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Allentown, PA earns more than $59,010 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $29,550 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Harrisburg, at $48,800 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 140 jobs in this occupation in Allentown, PA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.