Best degree programs for Data Entry Keyers, ranked by enrollment
3 college programs and 178 schools train Data Entry Keyers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $41,340 median wage, 127,080 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
3 college programs at 178 schools train data entry keyers, graduating 2,896 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry. The job pays a median of $41,340 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About data entry keyers
Operate data entry device, such as keyboard or photo composing perforator. Duties may include verifying data and preparing materials for printing.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
3 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.0407 | 2,124 | 73.3% | 113 | $25,993 | $9,500 |
| 2 | CIP 11.0601 | 520 | 18.0% | 53 | $46,716 | $8,690 |
| 3 | CIP 10.0305 | 252 | 8.7% | 19 | $25,121 | $26,958 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What data entry keyers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coloradolimited | $43,910 | 1,190 | 0.51× | 2 | 642 |
| California | $47,010 | 14,520 | 0.98× | 33 | 426 |
| Georgia | $41,270 | 3,410 | 0.85× | 23 | 326 |
| Minnesota | $44,280 | 1,360 | 0.57× | 7 | 279 |
| Texas | $38,880 | 17,850 | 1.55× | 15 | 236 |
| Illinois | $42,840 | 5,910 | 1.18× | 16 | 204 |
| Florida | $38,880 | 7,650 | 0.94× | 12 | 129 |
| Ohio | $40,220 | 4,530 | 1.00× | 6 | 128 |
| Wisconsin | $38,170 | 2,360 | 0.98× | 6 | 48 |
| Indianalimited | $40,550 | 2,370 | 0.91× | 1 | 46 |
| Washington | $47,480 | 1,360 | 0.47× | 6 | 45 |
| New Yorkmoderate | $44,860 | 9,470 | 1.20× | 3 | 36 |
| West Virginialimited | $35,900 | 660 | 1.15× | 1 | 27 |
| Michigan | $38,080 | 3,290 | 0.91× | 5 | 23 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,810 | 5,270 | 1.06× | 5 | 22 |
| Kansaslimited | $38,290 | 1,210 | 1.03× | 2 | 15 |
| Connecticutlimited | $38,560 | 1,290 | 0.93× | 1 | 14 |
| Missourimoderate | — | 2,720 | 1.13× | 3 | 14 |
| Tennesseelimited | $40,490 | 2,360 | 0.88× | 2 | 11 |
| Oregonlimited | — | 1,840 | 1.15× | 1 | 10 |
| Arizonalimited | $43,200 | 3,420 | 1.29× | 2 | 5 |
| Delawarelimited | $37,810 | 410 | 1.03× | 1 | 5 |
| South Dakotalimited | $34,320 | 30 | 0.09× | 2 | 5 |
| Idaholimited | $42,810 | 540 | 0.77× | 1 | 4 |
| Mississippilimited | $34,540 | 530 | 0.55× | 2 | 4 |
| Wyominglimited | $45,870 | 140 | 0.63× | 2 | 4 |
| Arkansaslimited | $33,860 | 1,000 | 0.94× | 2 | 3 |
| Massachusettslimited | $47,560 | 1,590 | 0.54× | 2 | 3 |
| Montanalimited | $42,340 | 300 | 0.72× | 2 | 3 |
| New Mexicolimited | $49,810 | 300 | 0.43× | 1 | 3 |
| Kentuckylimited | $36,870 | 2,020 | 1.23× | 1 | 2 |
| Louisianalimited | $36,920 | 1,800 | 1.14× | 1 | 2 |
| Utahlimited | $47,180 | 2,140 | 1.51× | 1 | 2 |
| North Carolinalimited | $39,610 | 3,330 | 0.82× | 1 | 1 |
| Vermontlimited | $43,280 | 290 | 1.15× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Locate and correct data entry errors, or report them to supervisors.
- Compile, sort, and verify the accuracy of data before it is entered.
- Compare data with source documents, or re-enter data in verification format to detect errors.
- Store completed documents in appropriate locations.
- Select materials needed to complete work assignments.
- Read source documents such as canceled checks, sales reports, or bills, and enter data in specific data fields or onto tapes or disks for subsequent entry, using keyboards or scanners.
- Maintain logs of activities and completed work.
- Load machines with required input or output media, such as paper, cards, disks, tape, or Braille media.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Active Listening3.4
- Monitoring3.3
- Writing3.0
- Critical Thinking2.9
- Speaking2.9
- Active Learning2.8
- Learning Strategies2.1
Knowledge areas
- English Language4.8
- Administrative4.6
- Customer and Personal Service3.6
- Law and Government3.5
- Public Safety and Security2.9
- Mathematics2.9
Abilities
- Near Vision3.9
- Written Comprehension3.9
- Finger Dexterity3.8
- Perceptual Speed3.5
- Information Ordering3.5
- Oral Comprehension3.5
Core activities
- Working with Computers4.7
- Processing Information4.5
- Documenting/Recording Information4.4
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3
- Getting Information4.3
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Data Entry Keyer
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 3 majors mapped to Data Entry Keyers3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 10.0305Graphic and Printing Equipment Operator, General Production
- 11.0601Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications, General
- 52.0407Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Data Entry Keyer?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry, which awarded 2,124 degrees in 2024-25, 73.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Data Entry Keyer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Operations Support and Assistant Services, Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications, Graphic Communications. Together they graduate about 2,896 people a year.
How much do data entry keyers earn?+
The median is $41,340 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $31,200 at the 10th percentile to $58,790 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for data entry keyers growing?+
BLS projects a -25.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 9,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
178 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do data entry keyers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Data Entry Clerk, Data Transcriber, Data Entry Operator, Data Capture Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 43-9021.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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