Clergy: salary, outlook & degrees
Conduct religious worship and perform other spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination. Provide spiritual and moral guidance and assistance to members.
Middle half $48,260–$76,640. 57,200 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
78% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $50,116.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 19,200 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Extensive preparation (usually a graduate degree).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Theology And Religious Vocations | 24% | Theology / Ministry · Bible Studies |
| Philosophy And Religious Studies | 8% | Philosophy · Religious Studies |
| Psychology | 3% | Psychology |
| Communications | 3% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure | 3% | Kinesiology / Exercise Science · Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies |
| Business Management And Administration | 3% | Business Administration |
| English Language And Literature | 3% | English |
| Music | 3% | Music |
| History | 2% | History |
| Finance | 2% | Finance · Insurance |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Washington | $80,830 |
| California | $77,710 |
| Nevada | $73,910 |
| Massachusetts | $72,190 |
| New Jersey | $65,500 |
| New Hampshire | $65,200 |
| Vermont | $64,950 |
| District of Columbia | $64,800 |
| Maine | $64,340 |
| New Mexico | $64,100 |
| Colorado | $63,700 |
| Connecticut | $63,470 |
| Delaware | $63,260 |
| Oregon | $63,140 |
| Arizona | $61,900 |
| Illinois | $61,820 |
| Maryland | $61,620 |
| Wyoming | $61,590 |
| Minnesota | $61,230 |
| Hawaii | $61,050 |
| Wisconsin | $60,950 |
| North Dakota | $60,680 |
| Iowa | $60,630 |
| Georgia | $60,530 |
| South Dakota | $59,860 |
| Rhode Island | $59,660 |
| North Carolina | $59,600 |
| Idaho | $59,570 |
| Montana | $59,550 |
| Texas | $59,480 |
| Ohio | $59,160 |
| Oklahoma | $59,110 |
| Indiana | $59,020 |
| Kentucky | $58,920 |
| Missouri | $58,740 |
| New York | $58,580 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,300 |
| Nebraska | $57,520 |
| Tennessee | $57,260 |
| Florida | $56,940 |
| South Carolina | $56,630 |
| Michigan | $56,490 |
| Alaska | $55,780 |
| Virginia | $55,430 |
| Louisiana | $54,140 |
| Mississippi | $52,450 |
| Kansas | $52,130 |
| Alabama | $50,180 |
| Arkansas | $49,070 |
| West Virginia | $48,460 |
| GU | $37,460 |
| PR | $28,880 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$58,470
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$59,610
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$57,850
- Jacksonville$56,330
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$54,840
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$59,630
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$56,240
- Lakeland-Winter Haven$46,400
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$61,170
- Richmond$60,190
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$50,330
- Roanoke$53,130
- Charlottesville$62,370
- Lynchburg$43,990
California metro areas
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$74,580
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$77,450
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$78,330
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$77,510
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$76,720
- Fresno$71,130
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$77,050
- Bakersfield-Delano$73,770
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- Philosophy and Theology
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
Work styles
- Cooperation
- Empathy
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Sincerity
People in this job tend to have Social (helping), Enterprising (leading) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Clergy: questions
How much do clergy make?
Clergy earn a U.S. median $60,810 a year; the middle half earn $48,260 to $76,640 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $47,730 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is clergy a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 2.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 19,200 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a clergy?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 73% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is theology And Religious Vocations (24%).
How much do clergy make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $56,940 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $60,810 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 21-2011. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Clergy: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/clergy.