SalaryExplorer

SOC 43-4071 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

File Clerks — Salinas

Salinas, CA · 10 metro areas compared

$59,040 /year
$28.38per hour
80jobs in area
+35.4%vs US median

The median wage for File Clerks in Salinas, CA is $59,040 per year, well above the national median of $43,600.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $43,60010TH$36,33025TH$41,600MEDIAN$59,04075TH$71,21090TH$77,760

How pay has moved

$66,438$22,0532019202020212022202320242025$59,040
$29,450 in 2019 to $59,040 in 2025, +100.5% 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 Salinas, CA.

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

The median wage for File Clerks in Salinas, CA is $59,040 per year, well above the national median of $43,600. The gap of 35.4% is among the widest recorded for this occupation. Pay ranges from under $36,330 at the tenth percentile to more than $77,760 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $41,600 to $71,210.

Employment stands at 80, or 0.4 jobs per thousand held locally. San Jose leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $60,840. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 212th of 369 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Salinas, CA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$36,330−16.7%
25th$41,600−4.6%
Median (50th)$59,040+35.4%
75th$71,210+63.3%
90th$77,760+78.3%
Mean$56,620+29.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in California

Median annual wage for File Clerks, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1San Jose$60,840540
2Santa Cruz$60,53060
3Vallejo$56,75060
4Napa$55,98040
5San Francisco$54,910890
6Hanford$53,86030
7Modesto$52,830100
8San Luis Obispo$50,26050
9Riverside$49,180800
10Stockton$49,050150

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Salinas run 9.0% above the national average, so the median of $59,040 buys what $54,165 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 24.2% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$59,040as reported by BLS

Local price level

109.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$54,165US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $59,040 a year, 35.4% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $36,330 to $77,760 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 80 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is San Jose, at $60,840.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for File Clerks in Salinas, CA?

The median annual wage is $59,040, or $28.38 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 Salinas, CA is 35.4% higher. 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 Salinas, CA earns more than $77,760 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $36,330 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 San Jose, at $60,840 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 80 jobs in this occupation in Salinas, CA. 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.