What does it cost to hire a receptionist in Worcester?

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 $41,720 median wage in the Worcester, MA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $8,344 to $12,516 on the first year salary alone.

Hiring a receptionist in Worcester, MA

Employers in the Worcester, MA area pay receptionists and information clerks a median of $41,720 a year, with the middle half of the market between $37,060 and $45,780 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 43-4171). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do Worcester residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the Worcester, MA area pay?

Worcester residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $40,181 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $49,850 as the median of the 41 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Worcester, MA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 19%, 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 Worcester, MA area the group covers 41 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from information and record clerks, all other at $32,300 to executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants at $75,350 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with receptionists and information clerks at $41,720 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 41 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 Worcester residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

What does a receptionist earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to receptionists and information clerks by employers in the Worcester, MA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 43-4171.
25th percentile	$37,060
Median	$41,720
75th percentile	$45,780

Half of receptionists and information clerks in this area earn between $37,060 and $45,780 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $37,060 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 43-4171 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What Worcester residents earn

$40,181

Median annual earnings of Worcester residents working in office and administrative support occupations, 10,567 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Operate telephone switchboard to answer, screen, or forward calls, providing information, taking messages, or scheduling appointments.
Greet persons entering establishment, determine nature and purpose of visit, and direct or escort them to specific destinations.
Receive payment and record receipts for services.
Schedule appointments and maintain and update appointment calendars.
Transmit information or documents to customers, using computer, mail, or facsimile machine.

Task statements for SOC 43-4171, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft PowerPoint.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 43-4171 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Worcester?

This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma. O*NET OnLine, SOC 43-4171.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 34.1% of Worcester adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Worcester aged 25 and over.

The average Worcester commute runs 25.1 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 10.7% of Worcester 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 Worcester.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Worcester County, administrative and support services employs 19,326 and turns over 18.1% a quarter, with 6,729 hires against 7,022 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $3,876 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 receptionists and information 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 $41,720 median in the Worcester, MA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $8,344 to $12,516 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 receptionist in Worcester

What does it cost to hire a receptionist in Worcester?: 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 $41,720 median wage in the Worcester, MA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $8,344 to $12,516 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a receptionist in Worcester look like?: Employers in the Worcester, MA area pay receptionists and information clerks a median of $41,720, with the middle half of the market between $37,060 and $45,780 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $37,060 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do Worcester residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the Worcester, MA area pay?: Worcester residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $40,181 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $49,850 as the median of the 41 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Worcester, MA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 19%. 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 Worcester?: This is a job zone 2 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 34.1% of Worcester adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a receptionist somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other office and administrative support roles in Worcester

Worcester is the 2nd largest of 2 Massachusetts cities in this dataset.