How much do receptionists make in 2026?
Receptionists are counted in the BLS receptionists and information clerks series: OEWS May 2025 puts SOC 43-4171 at a national median of $38,010 a year ($18.27 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $28,760 and the top 10% at $49,950. This is a narrow band across a very large occupation of 910,180 workers, and the narrowness reflects a job whose pay is set by sector and local wage floors rather than by individual capability. Sector is the most actionable variable. Medical and dental reception pays above the median, because it involves insurance verification, scheduling around clinical constraints and patient privacy obligations that general reception does not. Legal, financial and corporate reception also pays above. Salon, fitness, small retail and non-profit reception sits at the bottom. The other real lever is what else the role includes: receptionists who handle billing, scheduling systems, records or basic bookkeeping are doing work with separate market value. Employment is projected to show no change through 2034 — a flat 0.0% — with roughly 128,500 openings a year, which is an unusually clear picture of an occupation that is neither growing nor disappearing. → Full receptionist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $38,010 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Receptionists earn a national median $38,010/yr ($18.27/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-4171); the P10 to P90 range is $28,760 to $49,950.
- Sector is the main lever: medical, dental, legal and corporate reception pay above the median, while salon, fitness, small retail and non-profit reception sit at the bottom.
- Employment is projected flat at 0.0% through 2034 with roughly 128,500 openings a year — neither growing nor disappearing, which is an unusually clear signal.
- Roles that include billing, insurance verification, scheduling systems or records work carry separate market value and sit in the upper part of the band.
US Receptionist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do receptionists earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 43-4171; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-4171, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a receptionist earn at each career stage?
Reception pay follows the complexity of what happens at the desk. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 43-4171.
By State
Which states pay receptionists the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national receptionist median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. In an occupation paid this close to local wage floors, state and city minimum wage law is often the binding factor rather than any market rate.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($43,710), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay receptionists the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Cities with higher local minimum wages lift the bottom of this occupation directly.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a receptionist’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does receptionist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Receptionists sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify receptionist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a receptionist actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Receptionist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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