Clergy

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2019 Workforce

458k

Average Age

51.8

Estimated Job Growth

8.16%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$46,681

Average Male Salary

$48,995

Average Female Salary

$37,447

About

Clergy are most often employed by the Religious organizations industry. The average yearly wage for Clergy was $46,681 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Clergy by wage are Engine & other machine assemblers, Forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, and Food service managers.

Clergy are part of the Community & Social Service Occupations, along with Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors, Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, Marriage and family therapists, Mental health counselors, Rehabilitation counselors, and 11 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Clergy are Elkhart & Goshen Cities PUMA, IN, Brazos CountyCollege Station & Bryan Cities PUMA, TX, and Seminole County (West) PUMA, FL. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Clergy are Seminole County (West) PUMA, FL, Rowan County PUMA, NC, and Southwest Nebraska PUMA, NE.

Photo by Markus Trienke

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Community & Social Service Occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Clergy and on wages and locations 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 U. S. Air Force. Clergy are paid most in Norfolk City (Northeast) PUMA, VA but are relatively concentrated in Seminole County (West) PUMA, FL.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$46,681

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,382

In 2019, Clergy earned an average of $46,681, $8,843 less than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make somewhat more than Clergy while Engine & other machine assemblers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Clergy as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.347

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Clergy had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.347, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Clergy (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Clergy.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Clergy

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Clergy.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Clergy, by number of employees, are Religious organizations, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, and Nursing Care Facilities.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Clergy, by average wage, are U. S. Army, U. S. Air Force, U. S. Navy, U. S. Navy, U. S. Army, U. S. Navy, U. S. Air Force, U. S. Army, U. S. Air Force, U. S. Navy, U. S. Army, National security & international affairs, U. S. Army, U. S. Navy, U. S. Air Force, Justice, public order, & safety activities , Justice, public order, & safety activities , and National security & international affairs.

Industries by Share

458k

2019 Workforce

± 16,598

6.41%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 4.89%

The number of people employed as Clergy has been growing at a rate of 6.41%, from 430,790 people in 2018 to 458,411 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Clergy employed by various industries. Religious organizations employs the largest share of Clergy at 90.9%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 2% and Nursing Care Facilities with 1.33%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Clergy in the US. The average age of male Clergy in the workforce is 52 and of female Clergy is 50.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Clergy is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

367k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 14,847

91.8k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,438

80% of Clergy are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Clergy.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Clergy

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)

74% of Clergy are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 10.8% of Clergy, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Clergy.

Age by Gender

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.614

50.8

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.18

The median age of Clergy is 51.8, and Male employees are generally 1.19 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Clergy from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Clergy is Theology but a relatively high number of Clergy hold a major in Theology.

Majors

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

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Clergy from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Clergy need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Clergy need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources, Management of Material Resources, and Social Perceptiveness.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Clergy from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 6.85%, but Clergy are expected to see a growth of 8.16% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

8.16%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

6.85%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2018 to 2028) for Clergy. This profession is expected to grow faster than 6.85%, the average rate of national job growth.