Clergy Salary
Clergies in Syracuse, NY make a median of $48,770 a year, or about $23.45 an hour. The range runs from $46K at the entry level to $81K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.74), that's roughly $50,940 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,392/month, about 41.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $49K get you in Syracuse?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Syracuse’s Regional Price Parity (95.74). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About clergies
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What this looks like in Syracuse
Pay for clergy in Syracuse runs about 20% below the U.S. median of $61K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,392/month, which is 42.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.74) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for clergys.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for clergies in metros near Syracuse, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $62K | $55K |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga | $55K | $57K |
| Rochester | $60K | $62K |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | $49K | $49K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Syracuse, NY
Entry-level clergies (10th percentile) start around $46K. Mid-career wages sit at $49K. Top earners bring in $81K or more, a $35K spread from bottom to top.
Clergy pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Clergy salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $81K | +33% | 1,060 |
| California | $78K | +28% | 7,110 |
| Nevada | $74K | +22% | 210 |
| Massachusetts | $72K | +19% | 840 |
| New Jersey | $66K | +8% | 1,460 |
| New Hampshire | $65K | +7% | 100 |
| Vermont | $65K | +7% | 50 |
| District of Columbia | $65K | +7% | 310 |
| Maine | $64K | +6% | 160 |
| New Mexico | $64K | +5% | 270 |
| Colorado | $64K | +5% | 440 |
| Connecticut | $63K | +4% | 900 |
| Delaware | $63K | +4% | 120 |
| Oregon | $63K | +4% | 3,850 |
| Arizona | $62K | +2% | 1,070 |
| Illinois | $62K | +2% | 2,200 |
| Maryland | $62K | +1% | 670 |
| Wyoming | $62K | +1% | 40 |
| Minnesota | $61K | +1% | 1,160 |
| Hawaii | $61K | +0% | 720 |
| Wisconsin | $61K | +0% | 770 |
| North Dakota | $61K | -0% | 120 |
| Iowa | $61K | -0% | 370 |
| Georgia | $61K | -0% | 1,380 |
| South Dakota | $60K | -2% | 140 |
| Rhode Island | $60K | -2% | 230 |
| North Carolina | $60K | -2% | 1,430 |
| Idaho | $60K | -2% | 150 |
| Montana | $60K | -2% | 680 |
| Texas | $59K | -2% | 3,180 |
| Ohio | $59K | -3% | 2,020 |
| Oklahoma | $59K | -3% | 510 |
| Indiana | $59K | -3% | 1,060 |
| Kentucky | $59K | -3% | 410 |
| Missouri | $59K | -3% | 920 |
| New York | $59K | -4% | 7,790 |
| Pennsylvania | $58K | -4% | 2,150 |
| Nebraska | $58K | -5% | 270 |
| Tennessee | $57K | -6% | 710 |
| Florida | $57K | -6% | 3,560 |
| South Carolina | $57K | -7% | 450 |
| Michigan | $56K | -7% | 1,880 |
| Alaska | $56K | -8% | 150 |
| Virginia | $55K | -9% | 1,220 |
| Louisiana | $54K | -11% | 400 |
| Mississippi | $52K | -14% | 250 |
| Kansas | $52K | -14% | 450 |
| Alabama | $50K | -17% | 850 |
| Arkansas | $49K | -19% | 350 |
| West Virginia | $48K | -20% | 290 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track clergy salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Syracuse numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a clergy afford a 2BR apartment alone in Syracuse?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $49K, rent takes 42.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,392/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for clergies in Syracuse?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new clergies typically earn — is $46K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,781/month. At HUD’s $1,392/month FMR, rent would take 50% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is clergy a high-paying job in Syracuse?
Local pay runs 20% below the national median — $49K here vs. $61K nationally.
How does Syracuse compare to the national average for clergies?
Syracuse pays $49K median vs. the U.S. average of $61K — that’s -20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.74), the purchasing-power equivalent is $51K — below the national median.
How much do clergies make in Syracuse, NY?
The median is $48,770 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $46,350, and experienced clergies can clear $81,030. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $49K enough to live in Syracuse?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,262/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,392/month, which eats 42.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a clergy salary go in Syracuse?
Syracuse has a Regional Price Parity of 95.74 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median clergy salary is worth about $50,940 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do clergies get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.