Receptionists and Information Clerks
Business, Management and AdministrationO*NET 43-4171.00United States
Answer inquiries and provide information to the general public, customers, visitors, and other interested parties regarding activities conducted at establishment and location of departments, offices, and employees within the organization.
- Median annual earnings
- $37,797
- Projected change
- +5%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 970.79K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
49.8% of the workforce
Growing to 1.02M by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What receptionists and information clerks do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Operate telephone switchboard to answer, screen, or forward calls, providing information, taking messages, or scheduling appointments.
- Greet persons entering establishment, determine nature and purpose of visit, and direct or escort them to specific destinations.
- Receive payment and record receipts for services.
- Schedule appointments and maintain and update appointment calendars.
- Hear and resolve complaints from customers or the public.
- Transmit information or documents to customers, using computer, mail, or facsimile machine.
- File and maintain records.
- Provide information about establishment, such as location of departments or offices, employees within the organization, or services provided.
- Perform administrative support tasks, such as proofreading, transcribing handwritten information, or operating calculators or computers to work with pay records, invoices, balance sheets, or other documents.
- Collect, sort, distribute, or prepare mail, messages, or courier deliveries.
- Perform duties, such as taking care of plants or straightening magazines to maintain lobby or reception area.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $28,269
- 25th percentile
- $33,526
- 50th percentile
- $37,797
- 75th percentile
- $45,102
- 90th percentile
- $51,082
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $37,797 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+5%average or slower
2025970,788 jobs
2035 projected1,018,964 jobs
48,176 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
- 49.8%
- Some college
- 25.7%
- Certificate
- 20.9%
- Associate degree
- 3.7%
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.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- 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.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- 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.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- 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.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- 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.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Receptionists42,799 postings
- 02Front Desk Receptionists21,543 postings
- 03Front Desk Associates6,593 postings
- 04Veterinary Receptionists6,067 postings
- 05Front Desk Coordinators5,538 postings
- 06Receptionists/Administrative Assistants2,744 postings
- 07Receptionists/Office Assistants1,759 postings
- 08Front Office Receptionists1,461 postings
- 09Administrative Assistants/Receptionists1,263 postings
- 10Bilingual Receptionists1,194 postings
- 11Salon Receptionists980 postings
- 12Spa Receptionists863 postings
- 13Cashiers/Receptionists836 postings
- 14Secretaries/Receptionists818 postings
- 15Front Desk Receptionists/Office Assistants704 postings
- 16Bilingual Front Desk Receptionists665 postings
- 17Office Receptionists620 postings
- 18Sales Receptionists568 postings
- 19Receptionists/Schedulers528 postings
- 20Bilingual Spanish Receptionists519 postings
Top employers
- 01H&R Block4,381 postings
- 02Robert Half3,882 postings
- 03Planet Fitness1,174 postings
- 04National Vision505 postings
- 05The Joint Chiropractic502 postings
- 06Milan Laser Hair Removal404 postings
- 07Beacon Hill Staffing Group401 postings
- 08State Farm394 postings
- 09Brookdale Senior Living389 postings
- 10AppleOne358 postings
- 11Randstad340 postings
- 12Allied Universal290 postings
- 13Toyota Motor282 postings
- 14Camping World258 postings
- 15Chevrolet250 postings
- 16Aston Carter227 postings
- 17Veterinary Practice Partners216 postings
- 18Ultimate Staffing214 postings
- 19Trinity Health206 postings
- 20Freedomroads204 postings
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