Office Clerks, General salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Office Clerks, General in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 District of Columbia tax rules.
The figures
The median Office Clerks, General in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earns $51,880 a year ($24.94 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Office Clerks, General in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn between $43,770 and $62,940 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $36,230 or less and the top 10 percent earn $76,240 or more. BLS estimates 39,410 Office Clerks, General jobs in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area — 12.565 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.79 (below the national concentration). That is 1.6% of all Office Clerks, General employment in the United States (2,464,940 jobs nationally). By employment, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is the #9 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Office Clerks, General. In aggregate, Office Clerks, General in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn about $2.14 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $43,726.48 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Office Clerks, General is about $1.72 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV stands #4 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Office Clerks, General. By employment, Office Clerks, General is the #13 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Placed against the national distribution for Office Clerks, General, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $51,880 falls between the national median ($45,010) and the national 75th percentile ($54,300). Across all occupations, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median is $71,060 a year — Office Clerks, General pay is 27.0% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $26.16 | $54,400 |
| 10th percentile | $17.42 | $36,230 |
| 25th percentile | $21.05 | $43,770 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $24.94 | $51,880 |
| 75th percentile | $30.26 | $62,940 |
| 90th percentile | $36.65 | $76,240 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Office Clerks, General in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn 2.1 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($76,240 against $36,230). The middle half spans $19,170 — from $43,770 to $62,940. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($36.65) is 2.10 times the 10th ($17.42). In the upper half of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $62,940 takes home $50,035.94 and the 90th percentile wage of $76,240 takes home $58,859.52 — $8,823.58 more net for $13,300 more gross. Against the median take-home of $41,852.84, the top decile keeps 1.41 times as much. The mean wage of $54,400 sits 4.9% above the median: higher-paid Office Clerks, General pull the average up in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Among the 30 covered occupations in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, Office Clerks, General ranks #14 by median pay. In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV wage ladder of covered occupations, Office Clerks, General sits between Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive at $53,660 and First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers at $50,530. Office Clerks, General accounts for 1.3% of all employment in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area. The average covered metro employs 40,408 Office Clerks, General; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV employs 1.0 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in District of Columbia
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in District of Columbia; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $51,880.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $4,045.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,216.56 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $752.26 |
| District of Columbia income tax | $2,012.80 |
| Total deductions | $10,027.16 |
| Net pay (annual) | $41,852.84 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,609.72 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.33% of gross |
At the median, $41,852.84 of the $51,880 gross is kept ($1,609.72 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.33%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.60% at the 10th percentile, 18.16% at the 25th percentile, 20.50% at the 75th percentile, 22.80% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $14,212.84 on a gross rise of $19,170.
The same engine at the other published points of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($36,230) | $30,216.98 | $1,162.19 | 16.60% |
| 25th percentile ($43,770) | $35,823.10 | $1,377.81 | 18.16% |
| Median ($51,880) | $41,852.84 | $1,609.72 | 19.33% |
| 75th percentile ($62,940) | $50,035.94 | $1,924.46 | 20.50% |
| 90th percentile ($76,240) | $58,859.52 | $2,263.83 | 22.80% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $30,216.98 a year at the 10th percentile to $58,859.52 at the 90th — a spread of $28,642.54 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median wage of $71,060 takes home $55,576.74 a year ($2,137.57 per paycheck, deduction rate 21.79%). The Office Clerks, General median take-home of $41,852.84 sits $13,723.90 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV also covers parts of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia. The take-home estimate above uses District of Columbia rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia paycheck calculators.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Office Clerks, General earns $45,010 a year ($21.64 an hour). The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $51,880 is $6,870 (15.3%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $54,400 a year in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV against $46,420 nationally, a gap of $7,980 (17.2%).
Set against the whole local market, the Office Clerks, General 90th percentile of $76,240 is 44% of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV all-occupations 90th percentile ($174,600), and its 10th percentile of $36,230 is 100% of the area-wide 10th ($36,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $51,880 | $24.94 | $54,400 |
| United States | $45,010 | $21.64 | $46,420 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Office Clerks, General in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
$51,880 a year ($24.94 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $54,400 a year. Ranked by median pay, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV stands #4 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $51,880 in District of Columbia?
About $41,852.84 a year ($1,609.72 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.33% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $62,940, take-home is $50,035.94.
How does pay in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV compare with the national median for Office Clerks, General?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $51,880 is $6,870 (15.3%) above the national median of $45,010 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $76,240, against a national 90th percentile of $64,680.
How much do the top 10% of Office Clerks, General earn in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
$76,240 a year or more ($36.65 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Office Clerks, General in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
On $76,240 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $58,859.52 a year ($2,263.83 per biweekly paycheck) in District of Columbia under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 22.80%.
How many Office Clerks, General jobs are there in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
BLS estimates 39,410 Office Clerks, General jobs in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area — 12.565 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Office Clerks, General jobs in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
The location quotient is 0.79 — below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Office Clerks, General in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
From $30,216.98 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($36,230) to $58,859.52 at the 90th ($76,240), under the same single-filer assumptions in District of Columbia.
What is the total wage bill for Office Clerks, General in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
About $2.14 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 39,410 multiplied by the mean wage of $54,400.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.