Career
Clergy
Lead a congregation in worship, teaching and care, and walk with people through every season of life.
$60,810
Median pay
+2.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
19,200
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Pray and promote spirituality.
- Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks.
- Read from sacred texts, such as the Bible, Torah, or Koran.
- Organize and lead regular religious services.
- Instruct people who seek conversion to a particular faith.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then persuasion & leadership?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Pray and promote spirituality.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $60,810 a year and 19,200 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Theology and MinistrySee the degree →
- Theology/Theological StudiesCIP 39.0601
- Divinity/MinistryCIP 39.0602
- Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial StudiesCIP 39.0604
- Rabbinical StudiesCIP 39.0605
- Theological and Ministerial Studies, OtherCIP 39.0699
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Directors, Religious Activities and Education$52,100 · +3.3%
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers$59,550 · +4.4%
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$64,330 · +2.9%
- Social and Human Service Assistants$45,930 · +7.4%
- Social and Community Service Managers$80,390 · +7.2%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.