Payroll technician demographics and statistics in the US
Payroll technician demographics research summary. Zippia estimates payroll technician demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our payroll technician estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about payroll technicians after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 121,891 payroll technicians currently employed in the United States.
- 80.9% of all payroll technicians are women, while 19.1% are men.
- The average payroll technician age is 48 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of payroll technicians is White (57.7%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (18.9%), Black or African American (9.7%) and Asian (6.1%).
- In 2022, women earned 96% of what men earned.
- 10% of all payroll technicians are LGBT.
- Payroll technicians are 38% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to education companies.
On this page
Payroll technician demographics by:
Payroll technician gender statistics
80.9% of payroll technicians are women and 19.1% of payroll technicians are men.
- Female, 80.9%
- Male, 19.1%
Payroll technician gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 80.9% |
| Male | 19.1% |
Payroll technician gender pay gap
Women earn 96¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$48,368
Female income
$46,649
Payroll technician gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in payroll technician positions over time. Currently, 80.9% of payroll technicians are female.
Payroll technician gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 16.00% | 84.00% |
| 2011 | 14.85% | 85.15% |
| 2012 | 15.50% | 84.50% |
| 2013 | 14.97% | 85.03% |
| 2014 | 18.05% | 81.95% |
| 2015 | 17.19% | 82.81% |
| 2016 | 17.16% | 82.84% |
| 2017 | 15.40% | 84.60% |
| 2018 | 15.99% | 84.01% |
| 2019 | 17.34% | 82.66% |
| 2020 | 17.13% | 82.87% |
| 2021 | 19.14% | 80.86% |
Payroll technician related jobs gender ratio
We compared payroll technicians with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, time recorder and recovery agent have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance Billing Clerk | 5% | 95% |
| Receptionist/Accounts Receivable | 5% | 95% |
| Directory Clerk | 7% | 93% |
| Payroll Technician | 19% | 81% |
| Recovery Agent | 69% | 31% |
| Time Recorder | 71% | 29% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Payroll technician demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among payroll technicians is White, which makes up 57.7% of all payroll technicians. Comparatively, 18.9% of payroll technicians are Hispanic or Latino and 9.7% of payroll technicians are Black or African American.
- White, 57.7%
- Hispanic or Latino, 18.9%
- Black or African American, 9.7%
- Unknown, 6.1%
- Asian, 6.1%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
Payroll technician race
| Payroll technician race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 57.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 18.9% |
| Black or African American | 9.7% |
| Unknown | 6.1% |
| Asian | 6.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.5% |
Payroll technician race and ethnicity over time
See how payroll technician racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Payroll technician race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 66.47% | 11.89% | 4.22% | 15.57% |
| 2011 | 64.99% | 13.47% | 3.94% | 15.78% |
| 2012 | 67.78% | 11.08% | 3.89% | 14.89% |
| 2013 | 65.79% | 11.27% | 4.75% | 15.63% |
| 2014 | 64.70% | 11.51% | 5.00% | 16.35% |
| 2015 | 65.54% | 10.58% | 6.07% | 15.59% |
| 2016 | 66.28% | 11.14% | 4.88% | 15.71% |
| 2017 | 64.57% | 10.67% | 5.16% | 16.96% |
| 2018 | 63.29% | 9.84% | 5.38% | 18.71% |
| 2019 | 61.40% | 11.08% | 5.58% | 18.97% |
| 2020 | 60.68% | 10.35% | 6.76% | 18.35% |
| 2021 | 57.66% | 9.73% | 6.12% | 18.89% |
Payroll technician wage gap by race
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $49,007 |
| White | $47,265 |
| Black or African American | $49,847 |
| Asian | $49,004 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $46,786 |
Average payroll technician age
See how the average age of payroll technicians varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Payroll technician age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Black or African American | 47 | |
| Unknown | 46 | |
| Asian | 40 | 46 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 42.5 | 45 |
| White | 41 | 51 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 56.5 |
Payroll technician age breakdown
The average age of payroll technicians is 40+ years years old, representing 74% of the payroll technician population.
Payroll technician age breakdown
| Payroll Technician Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 74% |
| 30-40 years | 20% |
| 20-30 years | 6% |
Payroll technician educational attainment
The most common degree for payroll technicians is bachelor's degree, with 45% of payroll technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 31% and associate degree degree at 9%.
- Bachelor's, 45%
- Associate, 31%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 9%
Payroll technicians by degree level
| Payroll technician degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 45% |
| Associate | 31% |
| High School Diploma | 9% |
| Master's | 6% |
| Other Degrees | 9% |
Payroll technician jobs you might like
Payroll technician wage gap by degree level
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $45,758 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,105 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $47,184 |
Payroll technician employment statistics
Most payroll technicians work for a private in the education industry.
Company size where payroll technicians work
Below, you can see the size of companies where payroll technicians work.
Payroll technician jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 6% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 13% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 22% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 6% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 31% |
| > 10,000 employees | 23% |
Payroll technician jobs by company type
Employees with the payroll technician job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most payroll technicians prefer to work at private companies over education companies.
Payroll technician jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 30% |
| Public | 14% |
| Private | 38% |
| Government | 18% |
Payroll technician jobs by industry
The most common industries for payroll technicians are education, government and professional.
Payroll technician industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 27% |
| Government | 15% |
| Professional | 11% |
| Health Care | 10% |
| Fortune 500 | 6% |
| Manufacturing | 5% |
| Technology | 5% |
| Non Profits | 3% |
| Transportation | 2% |
| Finance | 2% |
| Hospitality | 2% |
| Retail | 2% |
| Insurance | 2% |
| Media | 1% |
| Internet | 1% |
| Automotive | 1% |
| Construction | 1% |
| Energy | 1% |
| Start-up | 1% |
Payroll technician turnover and employment statistics
Payroll technician unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for payroll technicians between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Payroll technician unemployment rate by year
| Year | Payroll technician unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 6.89% |
| 2011 | 6.51% |
| 2012 | 6.36% |
| 2013 | 4.27% |
| 2014 | 3.76% |
| 2015 | 2.34% |
| 2016 | 2.55% |
| 2017 | 2.44% |
| 2018 | 1.81% |
| 2019 | 2.54% |
| 2020 | 1.91% |
| 2021 | 3.88% |
Average payroll technician tenure
The average payroll technician stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 1,514 payroll technicians resumes in Zippia's database.
Payroll technician tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 18% |
| 1-2 years | 36% |
| 3-4 years | 16% |
| 5-7 years | 16% |
| 8-10 years | 5% |
| 11+ years | 10% |
Payroll technician LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of payroll technicians that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Purchasing Department Clerk | 6.59% | 102,459 |
| Proof Clerk | 6.92% | 66,500 |
| Senior Teller | 7.10% | 8,846 |
| Medicare Billing Specialist | 7.32% | 54,593 |
| Collections Coordinator | 7.90% | 40,113 |
| Payroll Technician | 9.53% | - |
| Casino Gaming Worker | 10.47% | 20,178 |
Similar payroll technician jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Purchasing Department Clerk | 6.59% | 102,459 |
| Proof Clerk | 6.92% | 66,500 |
| Senior Teller | 7.10% | 8,846 |
| Medicare Billing Specialist | 7.32% | 54,593 |
| Collections Coordinator | 7.90% | 40,113 |
| Casino Gaming Worker | 10.47% | 20,178 |
Foreign languages spoken by payroll technicians
The most common foreign language among payroll technicians is Spanish at 56.4%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is Chinese at 5.1% and Cantonese is the third-most popular at 5.1%.
- Spanish, 56.4%
- Chinese, 5.1%
- Cantonese, 5.1%
- French, 5.1%
- Portuguese, 2.6%
- Other, 25.7%
Payroll technician languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 56.4% |
| Chinese | 5.1% |
| Cantonese | 5.1% |
| French | 5.1% |
| Portuguese | 2.6% |
| Other | 25.7% |
