At an office, government agency, healthcare operation, or specialty records function, you handle the clerical work of records management — filing, retrieval, processing changes, supporting access requests, and the day-to-day work that organized records require.
The record clerk works the document-management infrastructure (physical files, electronic records systems, or hybrid combinations) — processing incoming records, supporting retrieval requests, maintaining the organization that systematic access depends on, and supporting the destruction processes when retention periods expire. The platform mix varies by employer but the procedural discipline is consistent. Records processed accurately and access response time are the operating measures.
Variance is wide: at law firms the role tilts toward case-file management; at healthcare operations it integrates with HIPAA-bounded medical-records discipline; at government agencies it follows agency-specific retention frameworks. The hybrid-records reality of most modern operations means record clerks work both physical and electronic systems with different procedures for each.
The role suits people who are methodical, comfortable with formal procedure, and patient with the steady volume that records operations generate. Records-management credentials (CRM, IGP) and platform-specific training anchor advancement. The trade-off is the modest pay typical of records-clerical positions and the limited variation in daily records work across most settings.
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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 an office, government agency, healthcare operation, or specialty records function, you handle the clerical work of records management — filing, retrieval, processing changes, supporting access requests, and the day-to-day work that organized records require.
Median pay for a Record Clerk is about $41K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $30K to $61K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, and Service Orientation.
Most people in this role hold a postsecondary certificate.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 15.9% through 2034, with roughly 78,980 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Record Searcher, Imaging Clerk, and Line Assigner.
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