Word Processors and Typists
Median $49,280
Occupation · SOC 43-9021
Data Entry Keyers: pay and where the jobs are
What data entry keyers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$41,340 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $43,310
- Median hourly wage
- $19.88
- Mean hourly wage
- $20.82
- Employment
- 127,080
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-9021.
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See where your pay falls among data entry keyers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do data entry keyers make?
The median annual wage for data entry keyers was $41,340 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $31,200 and the highest-paid 10% more than $58,790. As an hourly rate, the median is $19.88. About 127,080 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($55,170), New Mexico ($49,810) and North Dakota ($48,300). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in North Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for data entry keyers 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 | $31,200 | $15.00 | $2,600 | $2,271 |
| 25th percentile | $35,760 | $17.19 | $2,980 | $2,576 |
| Median | $41,340 | $19.88 | $3,445 | $2,950 |
| 75th percentile | $48,410 | $23.27 | $4,034 | $3,423 |
| 90th percentile | $58,790 | $28.26 | $4,899 | $4,118 |
Data Entry Keyers: 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
$46,076 take-home in national prices
2
$44,492 take-home in national prices
3
$42,115 take-home in national prices
Where a median data entry keyer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 200 | $55,170 | $48,930 | $73,090 | $44,365 | $40,368 |
| New Mexico | 300 | $49,810 | $35,990 | $53,410 | $41,027 | $44,492 |
| North Dakota | 110 | $48,300 | $33,670 | $64,310 | $40,989 | $46,076 |
| Maine | 140 | $48,190 | $40,960 | $58,340 | $39,083 | $40,271 |
| Hawaii | 210 | $47,630 | $36,750 | $53,550 | $38,358 | $34,887 |
| Massachusetts | 1,590 | $47,560 | $35,250 | $58,280 | $38,018 | $35,948 |
| Washington | 1,360 | $47,480 | $38,070 | $63,790 | $39,672 | $37,072 |
| Utah | 2,140 | $47,180 | $31,220 | $69,430 | $38,579 | $39,022 |
| California | 14,520 | $47,010 | $37,490 | $61,520 | $38,478 | $34,753 |
| Wyoming | 140 | $45,870 | $31,720 | $56,430 | $39,037 | $42,115 |
| Rhode Island | 270 | $44,980 | $37,280 | $63,190 | $36,757 | $35,937 |
| New York | 9,470 | $44,860 | $34,130 | $61,200 | $36,175 | $33,519 |
| Minnesota | 1,360 | $44,280 | $35,200 | $71,820 | $36,014 | $36,517 |
| Colorado | 1,190 | $43,910 | $33,920 | $61,070 | $36,045 | $34,977 |
| Iowa | 1,180 | $43,640 | $32,210 | $57,920 | $36,238 | $41,291 |
| New Hampshire | 790 | $43,440 | $34,610 | $54,990 | $37,084 | $35,601 |
| Vermont | 290 | $43,280 | $39,070 | $54,040 | $35,939 | $36,689 |
| Arizona | 3,420 | $43,200 | $33,860 | $54,900 | $36,205 | $35,961 |
| Illinois | 5,910 | $42,840 | $31,200 | $59,920 | $34,626 | $34,641 |
| Idaho | 540 | $42,810 | $29,990 | $59,460 | $35,417 | $37,088 |
| New Jersey | 4,940 | $42,470 | $32,410 | $61,990 | $35,147 | $32,303 |
| Montana | 300 | $42,340 | $34,510 | $51,140 | $34,967 | $36,945 |
| Georgia | 3,410 | $41,270 | $31,750 | $58,480 | $34,030 | $35,340 |
| Alaska | 160 | $40,700 | $35,180 | $68,550 | $34,679 | $33,880 |
| Indiana | 2,370 | $40,550 | $31,460 | $55,040 | $33,595 | $35,997 |
| Tennessee | 2,360 | $40,490 | $29,940 | $57,310 | $34,714 | $37,786 |
| Ohio | 4,530 | $40,220 | $29,220 | $54,990 | $33,834 | $36,470 |
| North Carolina | 3,330 | $39,610 | $31,780 | $52,620 | $32,935 | $34,916 |
| Nebraska | 1,260 | $39,600 | $28,080 | $49,230 | $33,076 | $36,709 |
| Nevada | 800 | $39,260 | $30,160 | $54,930 | $33,725 | $33,732 |
| Maryland | 1,850 | $38,970 | $31,200 | $56,490 | $32,007 | $30,495 |
| Virginia | 2,890 | $38,900 | $28,010 | $54,670 | $32,014 | $31,664 |
| Florida | 7,650 | $38,880 | $31,400 | $51,250 | $33,420 | $32,317 |
| Texas | 17,850 | $38,880 | $28,020 | $56,920 | $33,420 | $34,433 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,270 | $38,810 | $29,740 | $51,710 | $32,145 | $32,945 |
| Oklahoma | 1,290 | $38,590 | $29,640 | $51,620 | $31,996 | $36,424 |
| Connecticut | 1,290 | $38,560 | $34,010 | $58,190 | $31,755 | $30,649 |
| Kansas | 1,210 | $38,290 | $28,090 | $45,760 | $31,609 | $35,095 |
| Wisconsin | 2,360 | $38,170 | $27,940 | $51,180 | $31,856 | $33,855 |
| Michigan | 3,290 | $38,080 | $33,370 | $52,100 | $31,410 | $32,645 |
| South Carolina | 1,490 | $38,070 | $28,920 | $51,890 | $32,310 | $34,465 |
| Delaware | 410 | $37,810 | $31,400 | $56,100 | $30,988 | $31,047 |
| Louisiana | 1,800 | $36,920 | $23,420 | $54,160 | $31,124 | $35,285 |
| Kentucky | 2,020 | $36,870 | $29,280 | $50,910 | $30,632 | $33,976 |
| West Virginia | 660 | $35,900 | $27,250 | $47,740 | $30,112 | $33,646 |
| Alabama | 1,060 | $35,130 | $29,330 | $47,210 | $28,993 | $32,642 |
| Mississippi | 530 | $34,540 | $26,350 | $48,870 | $29,283 | $33,677 |
| South Dakota | 30 | $34,320 | $31,300 | $39,630 | $29,756 | $33,590 |
| Arkansas | 1,000 | $33,860 | $29,140 | $49,950 | $28,621 | $32,922 |
| Virgin Islands | 70 | $33,280 | $27,390 | $43,420 | — | — |
| Guam | 100 | $25,730 | $20,940 | $36,440 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 2,000 | $23,940 | $21,840 | $34,420 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-9021. *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.