Clergy

Add Comparison

Total Workforce

431k

Average Age

50.8

Average Salary

$46,689

Average Male Salary

$49,500

Average Female Salary

$34,028

About

Clergy are most often employed by the Religious organizations industry. The average yearly wage for Clergy was $46,689 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Clergy by wage are Automotive body & related repairers, Special education teachers, and Firstline supervisors of farming, fishing, & forestry workers.

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 Oklahoma City (West) PUMA, OK, Washington County PUMA, AR, and Sumter (North) & Lake (North) Counties PUMA, FL. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Clergy are Sumter (North) & Lake (North) Counties PUMA, FL, Oklahoma City (West) PUMA, OK, and Washington County PUMA, AR.

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. Army. Clergy are paid most in Norfolk City (Northeast) PUMA, VA but are relatively concentrated in Sumter (North) & Lake (North) Counties PUMA, FL.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$46,689

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,505

In 2018, Clergy earned an average of $46,689, $7,199 less than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Firstline supervisors of farming, fishing, & forestry workers make somewhat more than Clergy while Automotive body & related repairers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Clergy as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.362

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Clergy had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.362, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. 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. Navy, U. S. Navy, U. S. Army, U. S. Air Force, and Justice, public order, & safety activities .

Industries by Share

431k

2018 Workforce

± 16,091

-0.409%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.3%

The number of people employed as Clergy has been declining at a rate of -0.409%, from 432,559 people in 2017 to 430,790 people in 2018.

This graphic shows the share of Clergy employed by various industries. Religious organizations employs the largest share of Clergy at 92.8%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 1.95% and Nursing Care Facilities with 1.32%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Clergy in the US. The average age of male Clergy in the workforce is 51 and of female Clergy is 50.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Clergy is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

353k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 14,560

78.2k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 6,866

81.8% 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)

75.6% of Clergy are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 9.27% 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

± 0.605

50.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.33

The median age of Clergy is 50.8, and Male employees are generally 0.866 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 degree-majorss. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree-majors 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.