How much do clergy make?

What the national Clergy median says

The May 2025 BLS OEWS estimate puts the U.S. median for Clergy at $60,810 per year. Median means the middle. Half of the wage values used for this estimate fall below that point. Half fall above it. The median is not one worker's pay. It is not a job offer. It is one clear mark for the middle of a broad national pay range.

BLS also lists 57,200 wage and salary jobs for Clergy. That count covers jobs in the survey's scope. It does not count open job ads. It also leaves out people who work for themselves. The wage and job counts share the same May 2025 reference point, so they can be read together without mixing time periods.

The Clergy mean of $66,860 per year is 9.9% above the $60,810 median on the same published median. Mean means BLS adds the wage values and divides the total by the number of jobs behind the estimate. A gap between mean and median shows that the shape is not even. It does not explain the cause of the gap.

The fields that make SOC 21-2011 its own page

BLS names this record Clergy and gives it SOC 21-2011. The two-part code is the stable key for this page. A role with a close name keeps a different code, wage row, job count, and area pattern. WageScope never joins two SOC records because their words sound alike.

For SOC 21-2011, the U.S. row reports 57,200 wage and salary jobs. Its annual median is $60,810 per year. Its matching mean is $66,860 per year. These facts come from one national row and one May 2025 release.

SOC 21-2011 appears in 52 state or territory rows. It also has 221 metro rows and 72 nonmetro rows. A missing local row stays missing. We do not fill it with U.S. data or data for a similar job code.

• SOC 21-2011 10th percentile: $37,860 per year.
• SOC 21-2011 25th percentile: $48,260 per year.
• SOC 21-2011 median: $60,810 per year.
• SOC 21-2011 75th percentile: $76,640 per year.
• SOC 21-2011 90th percentile: $98,890 per year.
• SOC 21-2011 employment RSE: 2.3%. Mean-wage RSE: 1.5%.
• SOC 21-2011 has no national suppression mark in the fields shown on this page.

Read the Clergy wage ladder from low to high

The 10th percentile is $37,860 per year. The 25th percentile is $48,260 per year. The median is $60,810 per year. The 75th percentile is $76,640 per year. The 90th percentile is $98,890 per year. Each point marks a place in the same national wage spread.

A percentile is a rank point. It is not a career step. For example, the 10th percentile means 10% of wage values are at or below that mark. It does not mean a new worker starts there. The 90th percentile means 90% are at or below that mark. It does not mean a worker can reach it after a set number of years.

The middle half runs from $48,260 to $76,640 per year. That span is $28,380. The full 10th-to-90th span is $61,030. These spans show why one median cannot stand in for every Clergy job.

What the gaps around the Clergy median show

The median is 60.6% above the 10th percentile. The 90th percentile is 62.6% above the median. The two sides do not have to match. A wider upper side can pull the mean up. A wider lower side can pull it down. The data shows the shape, but not the reason for that shape.

The 25th-to-median step is $12,550 per year. The median-to-75th step is $15,830 per year. These two steps give a closer look at the middle half. They are often more useful than a single top-to-bottom gap because they keep the center in view.

Use this ladder as a fact check when you read a job post. A posted range can sit below, near, or above these BLS marks. That does not make the post wrong. A job may differ by place, hours, level, field, employer, or work rules. Keep the posted range tied to that listing. Keep the BLS range tied to the whole occupation.

Metro areas with the highest published Clergy medians

WageScope found 221 metro rows with the same published annual median for Clergy. It sorts only those rows. It does not fill a blank row. It does not turn a blank into zero. The first six rows below have the highest published medians in this release. The list is a wage rank, not a rank of places to live or work.

The first row is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, at $84,050 per year. The middle metro row by published pay is Lancaster, PA, at $59,530 per year. That middle metro mark gives one more check on how far the top rows sit from a common place in the set.

These are nominal wages. Nominal means the dollar amount shown in the source. This list does not adjust for local price levels. It also does not tell us how many openings an area has now. Use a local page to see price-level context when an exact BEA row exists. Use the separate job block to inspect current employer-title matches.

• 1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA has a Clergy median of $84,050 per year, or $23,240 above the U.S. Clergy median. BLS lists Not published jobs there, against 57,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is Not published.
• 2. Bozeman, MT has a Clergy median of $81,770 per year, or $20,960 above the U.S. Clergy median. BLS lists 80 jobs there, against 57,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 2.86.
• 3. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA has a Clergy median of $81,750 per year, or $20,940 above the U.S. Clergy median. BLS lists 740 jobs there, against 57,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.96.
• 4. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA has a Clergy median of $81,280 per year, or $20,470 above the U.S. Clergy median. BLS lists 70 jobs there, against 57,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.93.
• 5. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA has a Clergy median of $80,760 per year, or $19,950 above the U.S. Clergy median. BLS lists 70 jobs there, against 57,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.86.
• 6. Vallejo, CA has a Clergy median of $79,590 per year, or $18,780 above the U.S. Clergy median. BLS lists 60 jobs there, against 57,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.09.

Metro areas with the largest Clergy job estimates

A large wage can appear in a small job market. A large job market can have a lower wage. That is why WageScope keeps pay and job count in separate views. The six rows below have the largest published employment estimates for Clergy among metro rows in this release. Employment means the number of wage and salary jobs in scope. It does not mean open roles.

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has the largest listed metro estimate in this set, at 6,110 jobs. Its median is $61,860 per year. Compare that with Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, which leads the published median list. The leaders may match, or they may not. Each list answers a different question.

Job count can help you see the scale of a local labor market. It cannot show churn, new hiring, job quality, remote work, or the chance that one person will get hired. Current listings add a second view, but they are a dated sample of posts. WageScope never turns the listing count into a demand score.

• 1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has 6,110 estimated Clergy jobs. That is 10.7% of the U.S. estimate of 57,200 jobs. Its median is $61,860 per year, or $1,050 above the U.S. Clergy median. Its location quotient is 1.75.
• 2. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA has 1,750 estimated Clergy jobs. That is 3.1% of the U.S. estimate of 57,200 jobs. Its median is $65,710 per year, or $4,900 above the U.S. Clergy median. Its location quotient is 3.93.
• 3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has 1,690 estimated Clergy jobs. That is 3.0% of the U.S. estimate of 57,200 jobs. Its median is $61,820 per year, or $1,010 above the U.S. Clergy median. Its location quotient is 1.02.
• 4. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA has 1,130 estimated Clergy jobs. That is 2.0% of the U.S. estimate of 57,200 jobs. Its median is $74,580 per year, or $13,770 above the U.S. Clergy median. Its location quotient is 1.29.
• 5. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL has 990 estimated Clergy jobs. That is 1.7% of the U.S. estimate of 57,200 jobs. Its median is $58,470 per year, or $2,340 below the U.S. Clergy median. Its location quotient is 0.95.
• 6. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD has 950 estimated Clergy jobs. That is 1.7% of the U.S. estimate of 57,200 jobs. Its median is $63,430 per year, or $2,620 above the U.S. Clergy median. Its location quotient is 0.89.

Where Clergy has a larger share of local jobs

Location quotient is a share check. A value of 1 means the role has the same share of local jobs as it has across the nation. A value above 1 means the local share is larger. A value below 1 means the local share is smaller. It is not a count. It is not a wage. It does not say that a place is growing.

Albany, OR has the highest published location quotient in this bounded metro set, at 9.2. The same row lists 160 jobs and a median of $62,540 per year. Reading all three values keeps a high share from being mistaken for a large market or high pay.

A small area can have a high location quotient because the role makes up a large part of a small local job base. A large area can have many workers and a lower quotient. Use the quotient to ask where the role is common in the mix. Use employment to ask how many jobs BLS estimated. Use the wage fields to ask what the published pay range looks like.

• 1. Albany, OR has a Clergy location quotient of 9.2. BLS lists 160 jobs and a median of $62,540 per year, or $1,730 above the U.S. Clergy median. The U.S. job estimate is 57,200.
• 2. Grants Pass, OR has a Clergy location quotient of 7.82. BLS lists 90 jobs and a median of $69,990 per year, or $9,180 above the U.S. Clergy median. The U.S. job estimate is 57,200.
• 3. Bend, OR has a Clergy location quotient of 5.95. BLS lists 240 jobs and a median of $59,850 per year, or $960 below the U.S. Clergy median. The U.S. job estimate is 57,200.
• 4. Salem, OR has a Clergy location quotient of 5.55. BLS lists 380 jobs and a median of $78,220 per year, or $17,410 above the U.S. Clergy median. The U.S. job estimate is 57,200.
• 5. Medford, OR has a Clergy location quotient of 5.5. BLS lists 180 jobs and a median of $61,860 per year, or $1,050 above the U.S. Clergy median. The U.S. job estimate is 57,200.
• 6. Eugene-Springfield, OR has a Clergy location quotient of 4.97. BLS lists 290 jobs and a median of $60,520 per year, or $290 below the U.S. Clergy median. The U.S. job estimate is 57,200.

How Clergy sits in Community and Social Service

Clergy is SOC 21-2011. BLS places it in the Community and Social Service major group. Among 17 detailed roles in that group with a published annual median, Clergy ranks 7 of 17 by median. This is a pay rank inside one source family. It is not a rank of skill, value, status, or career fit.

The closest same-family medians help set a fair peer frame. They do not claim that the work is the same. Official SOC titles can cover different tasks and settings. WageScope uses the family only because BLS publishes that link. It does not infer a career move, a skill match, or a hiring path from the wage gap.

Use these peer rows to spot whether the $60,810 median sits near many family roles or far from them. Then open a role's own page before using its number. Each role has a different code, job count, wage spread, and place pattern. One family label does not erase those facts.

• 1. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, SOC 21-1023, has a U.S. median of $60,280 per year. Its gap from Clergy is $530 per year.
• 2. Child, Family, and School Social Workers, SOC 21-1021, has a U.S. median of $59,550 per year. Its gap from Clergy is $1,260 per year.
• 3. Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, SOC 21-1018, has a U.S. median of $59,350 per year. Its gap from Clergy is $1,460 per year.
• 4. Health Education Specialists, SOC 21-1091, has a U.S. median of $64,070 per year. Its gap from Clergy is $3,260 per year.
• 5. Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors, SOC 21-1012, has a U.S. median of $64,330 per year. Its gap from Clergy is $3,520 per year.
• 6. Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other, SOC 21-1099, has a U.S. median of $56,730 per year. Its gap from Clergy is $4,080 per year.

How much care to use with the Clergy estimate

The relative standard error for the job count is 2.3%. For the mean wage it is 1.5%. This measure, called RSE, shows survey precision. A smaller RSE often means less uncertainty from the sample. It does not tell you whether one person's pay is right or wrong.

The employment RSE applies to the 57,200 job estimate. The mean-wage RSE applies to the published mean of $66,860 per year. These fields do not give a matching RSE for the median or each percentile. WageScope shows the fields BLS published and does not move one RSE to another measure.

Survey values can change when BLS changes its methods, sample, models, or source year. That is why we show May 2025 on this page. Before we use a new release, we check its files, rows, and pages. A changed number is only a correction if the source calls it one.

A simple way to compare Clergy across places

First, compare the same wage metric. Use annual with annual or hourly with hourly. Next, check the source date. Keep May 2025 BLS rows together. Then read employment and location quotient beside pay. This stops a high median from standing in for market size or local share. Last, add BEA price-level context only when the exact place has an approved row.

A state, metro, and nonmetro area are not the same kind of map. Do not rank them in one list without saying so. WageScope groups like with like. It also keeps a national row as a broad bench mark. A local page can show the local row, its state row when that link is exact, and the U.S. row without blending them.

If a value is blank, keep it blank. If BLS marks a top code, read it as a lower bound. Do not fill a blank from a nearby place. Do not turn a wage gap into a claim about taxes, hours, benefits, work rules, or a household budget. Those facts are not in the OEWS row.

Move from Clergy wage data to one real listing

The job block on this page uses a strict employer-title match for Clergy. It may show fewer rows than the full MeritLog job search. That is on purpose. A false negative is safer here than a job card for a different role. Each card keeps its employer, place, source, and seen date. The cards do not change the BLS wage data.

Open one listing and read its own pay, work place, level, and needs. Compare its posted range with the BLS spread only as context. A posted range is set by an employer for one role. The BLS range is a survey view across many jobs. Neither source proves that a person is fit for the work.

When you tailor a résumé, use work facts you can back up. Do not turn $60,810 into a skill or result. Do not copy a BLS job count into your work history. MeritLog can help shape confirmed experience for a chosen listing. The wage page stays public and read only. It does not save a job or create a résumé on page load.

What this Clergy page does not claim

This page does not say what one Clergy worker earns. It does not promise that a job pays the median. It does not state a starting wage. It does not explain why the mean and median differ. It does not add benefits, tips, stock, bonus pay, taxes, or work hours unless BLS includes them in the published wage measure.

The page does not count people who work for themselves. It does not turn 57,200 into current openings. It does not read private MeritLog jobs or Career Memory. MeritLog does not use the page to build a private career profile. While public analytics are on, GA4, Ahrefs, and Meta may get this page's URL. Use Your Privacy Choices or Global Privacy Control to turn that off. The page does not send its text to a model.

The best use is narrow and clear. Read the May 2025 BLS wage range. Check how the role changes by place. Add the separate 2024 BEA price level when an exact row exists. Inspect a dated employer-title match. Then make a résumé choice from facts you have confirmed. Keep each source tied to the question it can answer.