Correspondence Clerks Salary
Correspondence Clerks in Memphis, TN-MS-AR make a median of $42,380 a year, or about $20.38 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $54K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 92.18), which stretches that salary to about $45,975 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,274/month, about 41.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $42K get you in Memphis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Memphis’s Regional Price Parity (92.18). 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 correspondence clerks
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What this looks like in Memphis
Correspondence clerks pay in Memphis tracks closely to the national median, $42K locally vs. $47K nationwide, a 9% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,274/month, which is 42.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 92.18 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 8% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for correspondence clerks in metros near Memphis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | $51K | $56K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Entry-level correspondence clerks (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $42K. Top earners bring in $54K or more, a $14K spread from bottom to top.
Correspondence Clerks pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Correspondence Clerks salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $61K | +31% | 70 |
| Oregon | $61K | +31% | 110 |
| California | $54K | +15% | 240 |
| Idaho | $51K | +9% | 40 |
| Nebraska | $50K | +6% | 60 |
| New Hampshire | $50K | +6% | 120 |
| Indiana | $50K | +6% | 70 |
| Ohio | $50K | +6% | 40 |
| New York | $49K | +5% | 540 |
| Maine | $49K | +5% | 40 |
| Texas | $49K | +4% | 830 |
| New Jersey | $49K | +4% | 40 |
| Virginia | $48K | +3% | N/A |
| Nevada | $48K | +2% | 130 |
| Utah | $47K | +1% | 140 |
| Wisconsin | $47K | +1% | N/A |
| Illinois | $46K | -1% | 50 |
| Colorado | $46K | -3% | 50 |
| Missouri | $43K | -7% | 70 |
| Tennessee | $42K | -9% | 100 |
| North Carolina | $42K | -10% | 50 |
| South Carolina | $42K | -11% | 130 |
| Michigan | $41K | -13% | 40 |
| Pennsylvania | $40K | -14% | 140 |
| Arizona | $40K | -15% | 110 |
| Louisiana | $37K | -21% | 60 |
Showing 1–10 of 26 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track correspondence clerks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Memphis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a correspondence clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Memphis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $42K, rent takes 42.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,274/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for correspondence clerks in Memphis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new correspondence clerks typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,352/month. At HUD’s $1,274/month FMR, rent would take 54% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is correspondence clerk a high-paying job in Memphis?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $42K locally vs. $47K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does Memphis compare to the national average for correspondence clerks?
Memphis pays $42K median vs. the U.S. average of $47K — that’s -9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 92.18), the purchasing-power equivalent is $46K — below the national median.
How much do correspondence clerks make in Memphis, TN-MS-AR?
The median is $42,380 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,200, and experienced correspondence clerks can clear $53,540. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $42K enough to live in Memphis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,008/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,274/month, which eats 42.4% 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 correspondence clerks salary go in Memphis?
Memphis has a Regional Price Parity of 92.18 (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 correspondence clerks salary is worth about $45,975 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do correspondence clerks 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.