Career
Word processors and typists
Type and format documents.
$49,280
Median pay
-34.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,900
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
- File and store completed documents on computer hard drive or disk, or maintain a computer filing system to store, retrieve, update, and delete documents.
- Transmit work electronically to other locations.
- Perform other clerical duties, such as answering telephone, sorting and distributing mail, running errands or sending faxes.
- Electronically sort and compile text and numerical data, retrieving, updating, and merging documents as required.
- Check completed work for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and format.
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 objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“File and store completed documents on computer hard drive or disk, or maintain a computer filing system to store, retrieve, update, and delete documents.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $49,280 a year and 1,900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Word ProcessingCIP 11.0602
- General Office Occupations and Clerical ServicesCIP 52.0408
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Data Entry Keyers$41,340 · -25.5%
- File Clerks$43,600 · -15.8%
- Medical Transcriptionists$40,410 · -4.4%
- Office Clerks, General$45,010 · -6.0%
- Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners$72,420 · -0.1%
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.