Clergy

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

474k

Average Age

51.3

Estimated Job Growth

0.992%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$54,868

Average Male Salary

$57,533

Average Female Salary

$44,457

About

Clergy are most often employed by the Religious organizations industry. The average yearly wage for Clergy was $54,868 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Clergy are Dallas County (East)--Mesquite City (Central & Southeast) PUMA, TX, Henderson & Transylvania Counties PUMA, NC, and Regional Planning Commission 1--St. Tammany Parish (Northwest) PUMA, LA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Clergy are Dallas County (East)--Mesquite City (Central & Southeast) PUMA, TX, Capital Region Planning Commission 2--East Baton Rouge Parish (South) PUMA, LA, and Henderson & Transylvania Counties PUMA, NC.

Photo by Markus Trienke

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Employment

Employment and salary information for the Clergy workforce. Clergy workforce in 2024 was 474,128 people, of which 20.4% were women and 79.6% were men.

Clergy are paid most in Solano County (Central)--Fairfield & Suisun City Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Dallas County (East)--Mesquite City (Central & Southeast) PUMA, TX.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

377,519

Male Workforce

± 15.1k

96,609

Female Workforce

± 7.63k

The Clergy workforce in 2024 was 474,128 people (20.4% women and 79.6% men). This implies an average annual growth of 9.31% between 2014 (433,758) and 2024 (474,128).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Clergy.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Maryland ($71,346), District of Columbia ($68,647), and Washington ($64,645).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$54,868

AVERAGE WAGE

#259 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Clergy earned an average of $54,868, $15,009 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Clergy in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Clergy had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.35, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Clergy (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Clergy compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Clergy and on wages for those in the field. Religious organizations is the industry that employs the most Clergy, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Clergy, by average wage, is Executive offices & legislative bodies ($192,937).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

474k

2024 Workforce

± 16,879

0.809%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5%

This graphic shows the share of Clergy employed by various industries. Religious organizations employs the largest share of Clergy at 95.2%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 2.18% and Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services with 1.29%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Clergy in the US. The workforce of Clergy in 2024 was 474,128 people, with 20.4% woman, and 79.6% men. The average age of male Clergy in the workforce is 51.6 and of female Clergy is 50, and the most common race/ethnicity for Clergy is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Clergy in 2024 was 474,128 people, with 20.4% woman, and 79.6% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 60 to 64 years (56,532 people), 55 to 59 years (52,466 people), and 40 to 44 years (49,412 people). Among them they concentrated 33.5% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 9.1% of Clergy workers were Hispanic and 90.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (45.9%), Puerto Rican (15.6)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (6.54)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 72.6% of the Clergy workforce were White, of which 21% were women and 79% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (7.21%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Clergy from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Clergy is Theology but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Theology.

Among the necessary skills for Clergy, Speaking stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Clergy need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Clergy in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Theology (86,712 people), Business (40,182 people), and Philosophy and Religious Studies (33,284 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Clergy workers were Graduate Degree (230,977 people), Bachelors Degree (126,889 people), and Some college (50,362 people).

The graphic shows the Clergy workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Clergy from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Clergy need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Clergy from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Clergy are expected to see a growth of 0.992% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

0.992%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Clergy. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.