File Clerks Salary
File Clerks in Missoula, MT make a median of $36,330 a year, or about $17.46 an hour. The range runs from $23K at the entry level to $50K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.44), that's roughly $37,671 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,361/month, about 54.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $36K get you in Missoula?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Missoula’s Regional Price Parity (96.44). 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 file clerks
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What this looks like in Missoula
Pay for file clerks in Missoula runs about 17% below the U.S. median of $44K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,361/month, which is 54.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.44) 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 file clerkss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for file clerks in metros near Missoula, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Billings | $38K | $40K |
| Helena | $40K | $42K |
| Great Falls | $35K | $37K |
| Boise City | $49K | $49K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Missoula, MT
Entry-level file clerks (10th percentile) start around $23K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $50K or more, a $26K spread from bottom to top.
File Clerks pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View File Clerks salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $51K | +16% | 970 |
| Hawaii | $51K | +16% | 100 |
| Illinois | $50K | +14% | 3,780 |
| Alaska | $50K | +14% | 150 |
| California | $49K | +12% | 9,520 |
| Massachusetts | $48K | +11% | 600 |
| Vermont | $48K | +9% | 70 |
| Minnesota | $47K | +7% | 760 |
| Iowa | $47K | +7% | 430 |
| Colorado | $46K | +7% | 1,130 |
| Idaho | $46K | +5% | 540 |
| Washington | $46K | +5% | 520 |
| Wisconsin | $45K | +4% | 1,550 |
| Maryland | $45K | +3% | 880 |
| Connecticut | $45K | +3% | 350 |
| New Jersey | $44K | +2% | 2,310 |
| New Hampshire | $44K | +2% | 300 |
| New York | $44K | +2% | 2,590 |
| Nevada | $44K | +1% | 1,110 |
| Michigan | $44K | +1% | 1,820 |
| Maine | $44K | +1% | 210 |
| Arizona | $44K | +0% | 2,190 |
| North Carolina | $43K | -1% | 1,970 |
| Tennessee | $43K | -1% | 2,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $43K | -2% | 2,830 |
| North Dakota | $43K | -2% | 60 |
| Kansas | $42K | -3% | 570 |
| Florida | $42K | -4% | 6,180 |
| Utah | $41K | -5% | 510 |
| Georgia | $41K | -6% | 2,570 |
| Ohio | $41K | -7% | 1,820 |
| Nebraska | $41K | -7% | 750 |
| Delaware | $40K | -8% | N/A |
| Virginia | $40K | -8% | 2,110 |
| Indiana | $40K | -9% | 1,430 |
| Texas | $39K | -9% | 11,340 |
| South Carolina | $39K | -10% | 1,210 |
| Kentucky | $39K | -10% | 250 |
| Oklahoma | $39K | -10% | 1,440 |
| Arkansas | $38K | -12% | 310 |
| Missouri | $38K | -12% | 1,000 |
| Montana | $38K | -12% | 410 |
| Alabama | $38K | -12% | 110 |
| New Mexico | $38K | -14% | 340 |
| South Dakota | $37K | -16% | N/A |
| Rhode Island | $36K | -17% | N/A |
| Louisiana | $32K | -26% | 680 |
| West Virginia | $32K | -28% | 260 |
| Mississippi | $31K | -28% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track file clerks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Missoula numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a file clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Missoula?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 54.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,361/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for file clerks in Missoula?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new file clerks typically earn — is $23K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,401/month. At HUD’s $1,361/month FMR, rent would take 97% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is file clerk a high-paying job in Missoula?
Local pay runs 17% below the national median — $36K here vs. $44K nationally.
How does Missoula compare to the national average for file clerks?
Missoula pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $44K — that’s -17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.44), the purchasing-power equivalent is $38K — below the national median.
How much do file clerks make in Missoula, MT?
The median is $36,330 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $23,350, and experienced file clerks can clear $49,520. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in Missoula?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,516/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,361/month, which eats 54.1% 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 file clerks salary go in Missoula?
Missoula has a Regional Price Parity of 96.44 (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 file clerks salary is worth about $37,671 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do file 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.