At a federal or state statistical agency, research operation, large institution, or specialty data-processing operation, you handle the clerical work of statistical operations — data entry, data validation, basic calculations, and the back-office work statistical projects require.
Statistical-clerk work runs on the data-handling layer of statistical operations — entering data from source documents into statistical systems, performing validation checks for data quality, running standardized calculations or tabulations, supporting senior statistical staff with documentation work. The clerk works statistical software at the operational layer, the data-management infrastructure, and the workflow that statistical projects run on. Data accuracy, processing throughput, and project contribution are the operating measures.
The reality is that traditional statistical-clerk positions have contracted substantially as automated data capture and processing have absorbed routine data-handling work. The role persists in specific contexts: government statistical operations maintaining manual processes for some data types, specialty research operations using manual data work for specific protocols, and operations not investing in automated infrastructure.
This role fits people who are detail-oriented, comfortable with structured data work, and patient with the methodical processing statistical work involves. Statistical-software training, AAS in mathematics or statistics, and ongoing CE anchor advancement. The trade-off is the contracting employment field as automated processing absorbs most routine statistical-clerical work and the modest pay typical of 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 federal or state statistical agency, research operation, large institution, or specialty data-processing operation, you handle the clerical work of statistical operations — data entry, data validation, basic calculations, and the back-office work statistical projects require.
Median pay for a Statistical 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 Statistical Analyst, Statistical Programmer, and Statistical Engineer.
Your job belongs to your employer.
Your career belongs to you.