At a publisher, government agency, research operation, or specialty information service, you handle the clerical work that compiles data, lists, or text — gathering source materials, applying compilation rules, supporting compilation projects, and the operational work that produces structured collections from raw inputs.
Compiling data from many sources runs on a systematic process of intake, normalization, and integration — gathering source materials (records, reports, raw data, contributed entries), applying the compilation methodology, integrating into the output product (directories, indexes, statistical compilations, or specialty databases), and supporting the editorial-and-quality work that compilation projects involve. The clerk works the compilation-management platforms and the workflow that turns inputs into outputs. Compilation accuracy and per-project throughput are the operating measures.
Variance is real: at directory publishers (legal, medical, business directories) the work tilts toward record-by-record verification; at statistical agencies it integrates with data-quality work; at research operations it supports specific research-project compilation needs. The contracting employment field for compilation work reflects the broader shift toward automated and AI-assisted compilation that has reduced traditional compilation-clerk roles.
This role fits people who are methodical, patient with detailed source-by-source work, and comfortable with the procedural-rigor compilation discipline requires. Publishing-industry training and compilation-specific credentials anchor advancement. The trade-off is the contracting employment field as automated approaches replace much of what compilation clerks historically did and the modest pay typical of compilation-clerical positions in remaining contexts.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Admin & Office roles →At a publisher, government agency, research operation, or specialty information service, you handle the clerical work that compiles data, lists, or text — gathering source materials, applying compilation rules, supporting compilation projects, and the operational work that produces structured collections from raw inputs.
Median pay for a Compilation Clerk is about $51K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $38K to $79K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, and Active Learning.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 2.5% through 2034, with roughly 5,900 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Chart Clerk, Chart Changer, and Wheelage Clerk.
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