Career
Procurement clerks
Handle the paperwork of buying supplies.
$50,580
Median pay
-8.1%
Job growth, 2025–35
3,700
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders.
- Perform buying duties when necessary.
- Prepare purchase orders and send copies to suppliers and to departments originating requests.
- Calculate costs of orders, and charge or forward invoices to appropriate accounts.
- Compare prices, specifications, and delivery dates to determine the best bid among potential suppliers.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then persuasion & leadership?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $50,580 a year and 3,700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- General Office Occupations and Clerical ServicesCIP 52.0408
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$45,260 · -7.6%
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$59,650 · -1.3%
- Stockers and Order Fillers$37,330 · +8.9%
- Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.