Jetted FoxCareers · Buying, shipping & scheduling
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks
Receives, checks, stores and ships goods and keeps stock records in a warehouse or store. No college degree needed.
Start now · nothing needed
Starting pay ranges from about $16.01/hr in West Virginia to $21.96/hr in Washington, DC.
Pay in every state
| State | Start | 2 years |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $14.36–16.83/hr | $18.72/hr |
| Alaska | $17.56–19.11/hr | $23.03/hr |
| Arizona | $17.36–18.65/hr | $21.83/hr |
| Arkansas | $14.09–16.80/hr | $19.47/hr |
| California | $17.98–19.21/hr | $22.36/hr |
| Colorado | $17.53–19.53/hr | $22.66/hr |
| Connecticut | $17.96–19.49/hr | $22.02/hr |
| Delaware | $16.60–18.33/hr | $21.21/hr |
| Florida | $14.90–17.41/hr | $19.57/hr |
| Georgia | $15.45–17.73/hr | $20.97/hr |
| Hawaii | $18.34–20.18/hr | $23.87/hr |
| Idaho | $14.82–17.38/hr | $19.92/hr |
| Illinois | $17.67–19.29/hr | $22.48/hr |
| Indiana | $17.55–19.31/hr | $22.75/hr |
| Iowa | $17.30–19.53/hr | $22.88/hr |
| Kansas | $16.13–17.96/hr | $21.21/hr |
| Kentucky | $15.38–17.56/hr | $20.59/hr |
| Louisiana | $14.06–16.48/hr | $19.32/hr |
| Maine | $18–20.18/hr | $22.67/hr |
| Maryland | $17.38–18.99/hr | $22.73/hr |
| Massachusetts | $18.66–21.16/hr | $23.67/hr |
| Michigan | $16.93–18.49/hr | $21.70/hr |
| Minnesota | $17.56–20/hr | $23.03/hr |
| Mississippi | $14.57–16.85/hr | $18.57/hr |
| Missouri | $16.01–17.91/hr | $20.91/hr |
| Montana | $16–17.75/hr | $20.96/hr |
| Nebraska | $16.79–17.98/hr | $21.21/hr |
| Nevada | $17.36–18.37/hr | $20.77/hr |
| New Hampshire | $17.87–20.12/hr | $23.06/hr |
| New Jersey | $16.60–19.07/hr | $21.85/hr |
| New Mexico | $15.10–16.95/hr | $18.68/hr |
| New York | $17.52–19.13/hr | $22.65/hr |
| North Carolina | $15.66–17.63/hr | $20.69/hr |
| North Dakota | $17.17–18.58/hr | $22.46/hr |
| Ohio | $17.07–18.61/hr | $21.76/hr |
| Oklahoma | $14.94–17.31/hr | $19.74/hr |
| Oregon | $17.69–19.24/hr | $22.86/hr |
| Pennsylvania | $16.65–18.55/hr | $22.01/hr |
| Rhode Island | $17.17–18.40/hr | $21.89/hr |
| South Carolina | $15.63–18/hr | $20.88/hr |
| South Dakota | $15.15–17.81/hr | $21/hr |
| Tennessee | $16.05–17.98/hr | $21.60/hr |
| Texas | $14.92–17.38/hr | $20.29/hr |
| Utah | $17.14–18.77/hr | $18.77/hr |
| Vermont | $18.77–20.50/hr | $23.60/hr |
| Virginia | $15.88–18.02/hr | $21.29/hr |
| Washington | $18.72–21.75/hr | $24.80/hr |
| Washington, DC | $20.15–21.96/hr | $23.87/hr |
| West Virginia | $14.58–16.01/hr | $19.20/hr |
| Wisconsin | $17.45–19.62/hr | $22.83/hr |
| Wyoming | $16.48–17.42/hr | $20.67/hr |
Estimates, May 2025. Start = what the lowest-paid 10–25% earn; 2 years = the median. US Bureau of Labor Statistics
What it takes
Before you're hired
Once you're hired
A normal day
You check incoming deliveries against the paperwork, scan items into the system and put them away. You pick and pack outgoing orders and print shipping labels. You may run a pallet jack or forklift and work with truck drivers and warehouse staff.
The good parts
Easy to get hired with no experience. Warehouses and stores are everywhere. Forklift certification on the job adds pay.
The hard parts
Lifting and carrying boxes all shift. Warehouses can be hot, cold and noisy. Many warehouses run night and weekend shifts.
Where it leads
clerks move to inventory control lead, warehouse supervisor, purchasing and logistics coordinator.
Quick answers
Do shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks need a college degree?
No. You can start now: nothing needed.
How long is the training for shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks?
1–4 weeks of paid training at work.
How much do shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks make?
About $16.66–18.37 an hour to start and $21.76 an hour at the median across the US (May 2025).
Is it a fit for you?
Answer a few questions and see your paths. Free, about 7 minutes.
Last updated October 13, 2026. Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Jobs: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Training, costs and requirements: Jetted Fox research (estimates). This site includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Jetted Fox has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Facts, not advice.