Tellers pay in the United States

Goes furthest in North Carolina
·Office and Administrative Support·
329k jobs
Figures from US Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wage Statistics
$20.69/hr median
329,480 employed
-13% to 2035
50% AI exposure
High school diploma or equivalent
53 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Receive and pay out money. Keep records of money and negotiable instruments involved in a financial institution's various transactions.

Where the money actually goes furthest

Washington pays the highest headline figure at $47,670. Adjusted for what things cost there it is worth $44,547 — less than North Carolina, where $44,830 is worth $47,524.

Pay by state

53 states and territories publish a median for this occupation. Switch the ranking to see how much the order changes.

Adjusted for what things cost in that state.

Median pay for Tellers by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
North Carolina$21.55/hr$44,830$47,524$43,4665,260
Alaska$22.49/hr$46,770$45,691$46,7701,020
Delaware$21.80/hr$45,340$45,426$43,3901,400
South Carolina$20.33/hr$42,280$45,098$41,2414,400
Nevada$21.63/hr$44,980$44,989$44,9801,850
Vermont$21.17/hr$44,030$44,946$42,789930
Arizona$21.75/hr$45,250$44,944$44,4833,770
Minnesota$21.25/hr$44,190$44,808$42,6055,740
Connecticut$22.27/hr$46,320$44,706$44,4853,220
Colorado$22.14/hr$46,060$44,696$44,7225,370
Virginia$21.69/hr$45,120$44,629$43,2717,410
Washington$22.92/hr$47,670$44,547$47,6709,180
Idaho$20.38/hr$42,380$44,381$40,9072,690
Massachusetts$22.55/hr$46,900$44,345$44,5557,190
Rhode Island$21.78/hr$45,300$44,290$43,996830
Maine$20.62/hr$42,890$44,193$41,2352,410
North Dakota$18.90/hr$39,300$44,177$39,3001,990
Florida$21.91/hr$45,580$44,076$45,58014,700
Maryland$22.12/hr$46,010$43,835$44,0053,860
Iowa$18.49/hr$38,450$43,812$37,5435,470
South Dakota$18.49/hr$38,460$43,413$38,4601,560
New Jersey$22.70/hr$47,210$43,387$46,09410,270
Georgia$20.04/hr$41,690$43,296$40,1497,820
Oregon$21.36/hr$44,440$42,995$41,0922,990
Ohio$19.14/hr$39,810$42,912$39,43113,890
New Hampshire$21.38/hr$44,460$42,680$44,4601,550
California$22.55/hr$46,900$42,359$45,84025,230
Mississippi$17.70/hr$36,810$42,334$35,2913,750
Nebraska$18.34/hr$38,140$42,330$37,0494,590
Wisconsin$19.06/hr$39,640$42,125$38,6109,030
Alabama$17.96/hr$37,350$42,051$35,6726,770
Indiana$18.62/hr$38,730$41,497$37,5988,400
District of Columbia$21.92/hr$45,590$41,483$43,930700
Wyoming$18.41/hr$38,290$41,309$38,290970
Kentucky$17.89/hr$37,210$41,271$35,8485,350
Pennsylvania$19.33/hr$40,200$41,201$38,96514,800
New York$21.35/hr$44,400$41,141$42,56315,040
Arkansas$17.17/hr$35,710$41,074$34,4944,250
Kansas$17.71/hr$36,840$40,901$35,0724,720
New Mexico$18.11/hr$37,680$40,863$36,9252,330
Oklahoma$17.23/hr$35,840$40,801$34,6277,230
Michigan$18.87/hr$39,240$40,781$37,81013,420
Louisiana$17.15/hr$35,680$40,448$34,9844,900
Missouri$17.62/hr$36,650$40,354$35,78410,030
Montana$18.31/hr$38,080$40,232$36,9471,660
Tennessee$17.67/hr$36,750$40,002$36,7507,560
Hawaii$21.11/hr$43,910$39,936$41,9821,760
Texas$18.29/hr$38,050$39,202$38,05025,860
Utah$18.45/hr$38,370$38,812$36,6244,790
Illinois$18.59/hr$38,670$38,685$36,89316,960
West Virginia$16.62/hr$34,560$38,614$33,5752,620
Virgin Islands$15.75/hr$32,750Not publishedNot published130
Puerto Rico$14.63/hr$30,430Not publishedNot published2,850

National median for comparison: $43,030. “Worth locally” divides pay by the area’s price level, so a figure above the headline means money goes further there than the US average.

$43,030/year

$20.69/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$27,780$57,450

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

50%Moderate exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

Both methods agree closely.

Method 1 — ability mix51%

Cognitive share of O*NET ability importance (element families 1.A.1–1.A.4), O*NET 31.0

Method 2 — task content48%

Importance-weighted share of O*NET tasks classed as language or information work, O*NET 31.0

What this does and does not mean

Exposure means a model could plausibly do a meaningful share of the tasks in this job. It is not a forecast that the job disappears, and it says nothing about whether any employer will actually automate it.

For what the labour market expects, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this occupation to change by -13% between 2025 and 2035, with about 26,800 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Balance currency, coin, and checks in cash drawers at ends of shifts and calculate daily transactions, using computers, calculators, or adding machines.
  • Receive checks and cash for deposit, verify amounts, and check accuracy of deposit slips.
  • Cash checks and pay out money after verifying that signatures are correct, that written and numerical amounts agree, and that accounts have sufficient funds.
  • Monitor bank vaults to ensure cash balances are correct.
  • Count currency, coins, and checks received, by hand or using currency-counting machine, to prepare them for deposit or shipment to branch banks or the Federal Reserve Bank.
  • Enter customers' transactions into computers to record transactions and issue computer-generated receipts.

Amber marks language and information work. Green marks tasks that need a person in a place.

Where tellers move next

Occupations that share most of this one’s skills, with the pay difference and the change in AI exposure.

Location

San Diego, CA, United States of America (SAN-San Diego Intl.)

Photograph by cottonbro studio.