At a government office, statistical agency, large institution, or specialty data-processing operation, you tabulate records for reporting and analysis — compiling data from source records, organizing into tables and summaries, supporting reports, and the clerical-statistical work record tabulation involves.
Record-tabulation work runs on the systematic process of turning records into structured statistical output — gathering source records (transactions, demographic records, operational data), applying tabulation rules to organize data into tables and summaries, supporting the reports and analyses tabulated data feeds, and the verification work that tabulation accuracy requires. The clerk works spreadsheet and database tools, the source-record infrastructure, and the workflow that routes tabulated data through review. Tabulation accuracy and per-project throughput are the operating measures.
The reality is that dedicated record-tabulation positions have contracted substantially — most tabulation work that historically required clerks is now handled by database queries, BI tools, and automated reporting systems. The role persists in specific contexts: government statistical operations maintaining manual processes for some data types, specialty research operations using manual tabulation for specific protocols, and small operations not investing in automated tabulation infrastructure.
This role fits people who are detail-oriented, comfortable with structured data work, and patient with the methodical nature tabulation involves. Statistical-clerk training, spreadsheet and database fluency, and ongoing CE anchor advancement. The trade-off is the contracting employment field as automated tools have absorbed most tabulation work and the modest pay typical of tabulation positions in remaining contexts.
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Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
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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 government office, statistical agency, large institution, or specialty data-processing operation, you tabulate records for reporting and analysis — compiling data from source records, organizing into tables and summaries, supporting reports, and the clerical-statistical work record tabulation involves.
Median pay for a Record Tabulating 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.
Your job belongs to your employer.
Your career belongs to you.