Directors, Religious Activities and Education
Median $52,100
Occupation · SOC 21-2011
Clergy: pay and where the jobs are
What clergy earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$60,810 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $66,860
- Median hourly wage
- $29.24
- Mean hourly wage
- $32.15
- Employment
- 57,200
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 21-2011.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among clergy nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do clergy make?
The median annual wage for clergy was $60,810 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $37,860 and the highest-paid 10% more than $98,890. As an hourly rate, the median is $29.24. About 57,200 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($80,830), California ($77,710) and Nevada ($73,910). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Nevada.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for clergy looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,860 | $18.20 | $3,155 | $2,717 |
| 25th percentile | $48,260 | $23.20 | $4,022 | $3,413 |
| Median | $60,810 | $29.24 | $5,068 | $4,253 |
| 75th percentile | $76,640 | $36.85 | $6,387 | $5,229 |
| 90th percentile | $98,890 | $47.54 | $8,241 | $6,533 |
Clergy: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$60,838 take-home in national prices
2
$60,341 take-home in national prices
3
$57,258 take-home in national prices
Where a median clergy paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 1,060 | $80,830 | $45,630 | $108,200 | $64,573 | $60,341 |
| California | 7,110 | $77,710 | $42,690 | $157,030 | $59,497 | $53,737 |
| Nevada | 210 | $73,910 | $51,070 | $82,810 | $60,826 | $60,838 |
| Massachusetts | 840 | $72,190 | $51,600 | $98,650 | $55,894 | $52,851 |
| New Jersey | 1,460 | $65,500 | $39,540 | $93,780 | $52,273 | $48,042 |
| New Hampshire | 100 | $65,200 | $51,480 | $81,160 | $54,568 | $52,386 |
| Vermont | 50 | $64,950 | $54,390 | $80,540 | $52,585 | $53,681 |
| District of Columbia | 310 | $64,800 | $40,600 | $99,270 | $51,481 | $46,843 |
| Maine | 160 | $64,340 | $47,390 | $74,030 | $50,890 | $52,437 |
| New Mexico | 270 | $64,100 | $47,050 | $85,280 | $51,837 | $56,215 |
| Colorado | 440 | $63,700 | $50,750 | $82,410 | $50,988 | $49,478 |
| Connecticut | 900 | $63,470 | $44,390 | $100,460 | $50,120 | $48,374 |
| Delaware | 120 | $63,260 | $51,270 | $78,150 | $49,922 | $50,018 |
| Oregon | 3,850 | $63,140 | $37,970 | $99,960 | $48,318 | $46,747 |
| Arizona | 1,070 | $61,900 | $44,440 | $102,290 | $50,763 | $50,422 |
| Illinois | 2,200 | $61,820 | $36,760 | $86,390 | $48,937 | $48,958 |
| Maryland | 670 | $61,620 | $36,450 | $104,330 | $49,131 | $46,809 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $61,590 | $40,910 | $78,850 | $51,668 | $55,742 |
| Minnesota | 1,160 | $61,230 | $38,350 | $79,000 | $48,469 | $49,146 |
| Hawaii | 720 | $61,050 | $46,710 | $90,270 | $48,092 | $43,740 |
| Wisconsin | 770 | $60,950 | $47,320 | $80,770 | $49,037 | $52,114 |
| North Dakota | 120 | $60,680 | $35,740 | $86,840 | $50,936 | $57,258 |
| Iowa | 370 | $60,630 | $46,920 | $73,340 | $49,244 | $56,111 |
| Georgia | 1,380 | $60,530 | $35,260 | $85,530 | $48,544 | $50,413 |
| South Dakota | 140 | $59,860 | $37,890 | $75,500 | $50,278 | $56,756 |
| Rhode Island | 230 | $59,660 | $34,180 | $88,420 | $47,840 | $46,774 |
| North Carolina | 1,430 | $59,600 | $39,880 | $82,350 | $48,199 | $51,099 |
| Idaho | 150 | $59,570 | $32,310 | $77,740 | $47,996 | $50,260 |
| Montana | 680 | $59,550 | $35,050 | $96,460 | $47,986 | $50,701 |
| Texas | 3,180 | $59,480 | $37,220 | $84,940 | $49,972 | $51,487 |
| Ohio | 2,020 | $59,160 | $36,910 | $79,180 | $48,532 | $52,312 |
| Oklahoma | 510 | $59,110 | $40,150 | $79,860 | $47,560 | $54,143 |
| Indiana | 1,060 | $59,020 | $37,860 | $77,670 | $47,891 | $51,314 |
| Kentucky | 410 | $58,920 | $40,640 | $80,630 | $47,578 | $52,771 |
| Missouri | 920 | $58,740 | $44,260 | $77,940 | $47,554 | $52,363 |
| New York | 7,790 | $58,580 | $38,780 | $129,200 | $46,398 | $42,993 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,150 | $58,300 | $31,580 | $81,360 | $47,193 | $48,368 |
| Nebraska | 270 | $57,520 | $45,920 | $67,230 | $46,660 | $51,785 |
| Tennessee | 710 | $57,260 | $41,600 | $73,920 | $48,188 | $52,453 |
| Florida | 3,560 | $56,940 | $35,950 | $88,560 | $47,931 | $46,349 |
| South Carolina | 450 | $56,630 | $42,110 | $79,950 | $46,243 | $49,326 |
| Michigan | 1,880 | $56,490 | $36,730 | $74,470 | $45,420 | $47,205 |
| Alaska | 150 | $55,780 | $35,910 | $76,820 | $46,728 | $45,651 |
| Virginia | 1,220 | $55,430 | $32,710 | $81,680 | $44,345 | $43,861 |
| Louisiana | 400 | $54,140 | $31,270 | $75,490 | $44,444 | $50,386 |
| Mississippi | 250 | $52,450 | $35,030 | $85,810 | $42,958 | $49,403 |
| Kansas | 450 | $52,130 | $29,060 | $68,250 | $41,957 | $46,584 |
| Alabama | 850 | $50,180 | $38,480 | $71,650 | $40,423 | $45,509 |
| Arkansas | 350 | $49,070 | $30,070 | $78,850 | $40,280 | $46,332 |
| West Virginia | 290 | $48,460 | $36,600 | $63,770 | $39,738 | $44,402 |
| Guam | 30 | $37,460 | $19,240 | $75,480 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 290 | $28,880 | $22,800 | $41,490 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 21-2011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.