How much does a stock clerk make?
a year · about $18 an hour
A typical stock clerk in the United States makes $37,330 a year, about $18 an hour, below a typical US worker ($50,980) (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What do they do?
They check a delivery against its order, unpack and count boxes, then put items on shelves or pick products for customer orders. They may update stock records, tidy aisles, and answer shoppers’ questions.
Did you know? Some stock clerks operate forklifts to move goods, but U.S. federal law bars anyone under 18 from operating one.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowIf 100 people had this job
Most earn between $30,110 and $49,260How do you become one?
In the U.S., a high school diploma or GED is usually expected; employers train new stock clerks on the job. Some 14- and 15-year-olds may stock shelves under federal limits, but forklift work requires age 18+ and training.
School needed: High school plus some training
Good for people who like keeping things organized and building and doing
Why does pay differ?
In the U.S., pay differs by location and workplace: retail stores and warehouses can have different wage patterns. Part-time schedules mean fewer paid hours than full-time work, so yearly earnings also depend on hours.
Where does it pay most?
Highest in Washington ($44,620), lowest in Mississippi ($34,270).
See every state
Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
Jobs like this
Data table and sources
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $30,110 | $37,330 | $49,260 | about 2.8 million |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $44,620 | about 57,000 |
| Oregon | $43,480 | about 43,000 |
| California | $42,870 | about 311,000 |
| Colorado | $42,350 | about 56,000 |
| Connecticut | $40,590 | about 35,000 |
Official definition: Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers’ orders. May operate power equipment to fill orders. May mark prices on merchandise and set up sales displays. Excludes “Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks” (43-5071), “Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand” (53-7062), and “Packers and Packagers, Hand” (53-7064).
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/53-7065.00
- www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Careers/Occupations/occupation-profile.aspx?keywor
- www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/38-child-labor-grocery-stores
- www.osha.gov/powered-industrial-trucks
- www.bls.gov/oes/2020/may/oes537065.htm
- www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Wages/find-salary.aspx?dataview=table&hourly=False
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY