Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
Perform clerical duties for courts of law, municipalities, or governmental licensing agencies and bureaus. May prepare docket of cases to be called; secure information for judges and court; prepare draft agendas or bylaws for town or city council; answer official correspondence; keep fiscal records and accounts; issue licenses or permits; and record data, administer tests, or collect fees.
- Median annual earnings
- $48,671
- Projected change
- +5.5%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 184.29K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
52.5% of the workforce
Growing to 194.48K by 2035
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
The work
What court, municipal, and license clerks do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Evaluate information on applications to verify completeness and accuracy and to determine whether applicants are qualified to obtain desired licenses.
- Perform administrative tasks, such as answering telephone calls, filing court documents, or maintaining office supplies or equipment.
- Verify the authenticity of documents, such as foreign identification or immigration documents.
- Record and edit the minutes of meetings and distribute to appropriate officials or staff members.
- Question applicants to obtain required information, such as name, address, or age, and record data on prescribed forms.
- Issue public notification of all official activities or meetings.
- Record and maintain all vital and fiscal records and accounts.
- Answer questions or provide advice to the public regarding licensing policies, procedures, or regulations.
- Prepare meeting agendas or packets of related information.
- Record case dispositions, court orders, or arrangements made for payment of court fees.
- Examine legal documents submitted to courts for adherence to laws or court procedures.
- Prepare ordinances, resolutions, or proclamations so that they can be executed, recorded, archived, or distributed.
- Answer inquiries from the general public regarding judicial procedures, court appearances, trial dates, adjournments, outstanding warrants, summonses, subpoenas, witness fees, or payment of fines.
- Prepare and issue orders of the court, such as probation orders, release documentation, sentencing information, or summonses.
- Code information on license applications for entry into computers.
- Perform budgeting duties, such as assisting in budget preparation, expenditure review, or budget administration.
- Prepare documents recording the outcomes of court proceedings.
- Perform record checks on past or current licensees, as required by investigations.
- Perform general office duties, such as taking or transcribing dictation, typing or proofreading correspondence, distributing or filing official forms, or scheduling appointments.
- Respond to requests for information from the public, other municipalities, state officials, or state and federal legislative offices.
- Instruct parties about timing of court appearances.
- Coordinate or maintain office tracking systems for correspondence or follow-up actions.
- Train other workers or coordinate their work, as necessary.
- Research information in the municipal archives upon request of public officials or private citizens.
- Perform contract administration duties, assisting with bid openings or the awarding of contracts.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $35,946
- 25th percentile
- $40,552
- 50th percentile
- $48,671
- 75th percentile
- $61,152
- 90th percentile
- $75,866
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $48,671 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
10,192 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 52.5%
- Some college
- 17.7%
- Associate degree
- 13.1%
- Bachelor's degree
- 10.9%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 3.4%
- Certificate
- 2.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Court Clerks948 postings
- 02Deputy Clerks534 postings
- 03Deputy Clerks of Court456 postings
- 04Driver's License Examiners343 postings
- 05Deli Clerks237 postings
- 06District Court Clerks223 postings
- 07Courtroom Clerks213 postings
- 08Municipal Court Clerks187 postings
- 09Clerks180 postings
- 10Records Clerks164 postings
- 11Medical Assistants/X-Ray Techs158 postings
- 12Judicial Assistants145 postings
- 13Deputy City Clerks135 postings
- 14City Clerks123 postings
- 15Office Assistants105 postings
- 16Assistant Crew Chiefs103 postings
- 17Deputy District Clerks99 postings
- 18Dishroom Clerks96 postings
- 19Case Management Assistants93 postings
- 20Deputy County Clerks89 postings
Top employers
- 01Kroger623 postings
- 02Hy-Vee166 postings
- 03Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania136 postings
- 04Supreme Court Of Virginia114 postings
- 05Maryland Judiciary107 postings
- 06State of Missouri100 postings
- 07Big Y Foods95 postings
- 08State of South Carolina90 postings
- 09State Of Alaska83 postings
- 10Johnson & Johnson78 postings
- 11Tarrant County65 postings
- 12State of Nebraska64 postings
- 13Bexar County61 postings
- 14King Soopers60 postings
- 15United States Federal Judiciary60 postings
- 16Smith's Food And Drug59 postings
- 17Encompass Health58 postings
- 18Judicial Department57 postings
- 19Pick And Save55 postings
- 20Judicial Branch52 postings
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