Hiring a payroll and timekeeping clerk in Portland, OR

Do Portland residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA area pay?

Portland residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $42,620 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $54,560 as the median of the 47 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 22%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole office and administrative support group, not this one role. In the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA area the group covers 47 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks at $38,970 to public safety telecommunicators at $81,160 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with payroll and timekeeping clerks at $64,170 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 47 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Portland residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

Is the talent actually in Portland?

This is a job zone three: medium preparation needed occupation. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. O*NET OnLine, SOC 43-3051.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 53.5% of Portland adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Portland aged 25 and over.

The average Portland commute runs 24.6 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 25.3% of Portland workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Portland.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Multnomah County, administrative and support services employs 27,004 and turns over 15.5% a quarter, with 7,760 hires against 7,905 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $4,302 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 56.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about payroll and timekeeping clerks. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a high-churn market, where speed matters more than a perfect fit.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $64,170 median in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $12,834 to $19,251 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a payroll and timekeeping clerk in Portland

What does it cost to hire a payroll and timekeeping clerk in Portland?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $64,170 median wage in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $12,834 to $19,251 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a payroll and timekeeping clerk in Portland look like?

Employers in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA area pay payroll and timekeeping clerks a median of $64,170, with the middle half of the market between $53,820 and $73,060 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $53,820 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Portland residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA area pay?

Portland residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $42,620 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $54,560 as the median of the 47 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 22%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Portland?

This is a job zone 3 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 53.5% of Portland adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).

Related

• Hiring Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Portland
• Every Oregon city we cover

Portland is the largest of 1 Oregon cities in this dataset.