Clergy

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2022 Workforce

465k

Average Age

51.2

Estimated Job Growth

0.562%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$52,763

Average Male Salary

$55,405

Average Female Salary

$41,751

About

Clergy are most often employed by the Religious organizations industry. The average yearly wage for Clergy was $52,763 in 2022.

The locations that employ the most Clergy are New River Valley Planning District Commission PUMA, VA, Canadian County--Yukon, Mustang, El Reno, West Oklahoma City & Piedmont Cities PUMA, OK, and East Prince George's County--Bowie City, Kettering & Largo PUMA, MD. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Clergy are Richland County (Northwest and North Central)--Irmo (East) and Blythewood Cities PUMA, SC, Canadian County--Yukon, Mustang, El Reno, West Oklahoma City & Piedmont Cities PUMA, OK, and Dallas County (East)--Mesquite City (Central & Southeast) PUMA, TX.

Photo by Markus Trienke

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

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Clergy workforce. Clergy workforce in 2022 was 464,568 people, of which 19.3% were women and 80.7% were men. Clergy are paid most in Norfolk City (North) PUMA, VA but are relatively concentrated in Richland County (Northwest and North Central)--Irmo (East) and Blythewood Cities PUMA, SC.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

374,706

Male Workforce

± 15k

89,862

Female Workforce

± 7.36k

The Clergy workforce in 2022 was 464,568 people (19.3% women and 80.7% men). This implies an average annual growth of 7.1% between 2014 (433,758) and 2022 (464,568).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2022, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Connecticut ($65,640), Maryland ($62,004), and Alaska ($58,277).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$52,763

AVERAGE WAGE

#295 in the ranking (2022)

$64,683

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2022, Clergy earned an average of $52,763, $11,919 less than the average national salary of $64,683

The graph shows the ranking of Clergy in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2022.

In 2022, Clergy had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.353, which is lower 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).

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 ($129,127).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

465k

2022 Workforce

± 16,708

1.52%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.03%

This graphic shows the share of Clergy employed by various industries. Religious organizations employs the largest share of Clergy at 96.6%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 2.09% and Nursing Care Facilities with 1.34%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Clergy in the US. The workforce of Clergy in 2022 was 464,568 people, with 19.3% woman, and 80.7% men. The average age of male Clergy in the workforce is 51.4 and of female Clergy is 50.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Clergy is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Clergy in 2022 was 464,568 people, with 19.3% woman, and 80.7% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 60 to 64 years (57,939 people), 55 to 59 years (52,577 people), and 65 to 69 years (46,927 people). Among them they concentrated 33.9% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2022, 8.68% of Clergy workers were Hispanic and 91.3% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (65.1%), Puerto Rican (25.7)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (9.17)%

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

Races

In 2022, 75.5% of the Clergy workforce were White, of which 19.5% were women and 80.5% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (10.8%) and Asian (5.22%).

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 2022 were Theology.

Among the necessary skills for Clergy, Social Perceptiveness 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 2022 (counting all academic degrees) were Theology (87,894 people), Business (37,390 people), and Philosophy and Religious Studies (34,411 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 (229,473 people), Bachelors Degree (124,302 people), and Some college (49,596 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 Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Active Listening.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Clergy from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 2.84%, but Clergy are expected to see a growth of 0.562% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

0.562%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

2.84%

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 2.84%, the average rate of national job growth.