High paying office and admin jobs in Ames, IA with no experience

The best paid office and admin occupations in Ames, IA that require neither a degree nor prior experience in a related job. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in Ames, IA run 11.2% below the national average (2024), so a Ames, IA salary is worth about 1.13× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order.

Local wage estimates are suppressed more often than state ones — BLS withholds any figure too few local employers report — so an occupation missing here simply has no published local estimate.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find office jobs in Ames, IA

OccupationMedian, Ames, IA · Employed

1Postal Service Mail Carriers$60,840
No formal educational credential
$42,390 – $81,040130
2Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$60,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,900 – $79,940140
3Public Safety Telecommunicators$58,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,700 – $68,02040
4Postal Service Clerks$58,470
No formal educational credential
$42,600 – $70,49040
5Court, Municipal, and License Clerks$57,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,980 – $67,92080
6Loan Interviewers and Clerks$57,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,390 – $74,84050
7Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks$56,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,340 – $69,43030
8Information and Record Clerks, All Other$53,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,560 – $62,01090
9Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$48,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,640 – $61,600620
10Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance$48,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,980 – $78,08050
11Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other$48,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,290 – $61,94070
12Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$47,970
Some college, no degree
$32,770 – $68,010470
13New Accounts Clerks$47,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,360 – $58,02050
14Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$47,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,630 – $60,260210
15Billing and Posting Clerks$47,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,940 – $61,84090
16Office Clerks, General$45,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,770 – $62,820710
17Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping$45,200
Associate's degree
$31,750 – $71,08040
18Data Entry Keyers$45,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,870 – $56,83050
19Tellers$43,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,900 – $49,850180
20Customer Service Representatives$42,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,820 – $63,040690
21Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$40,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,530 – $49,030420
22Receptionists and Information Clerks$35,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,740 – $46,890170
23Library Assistants, Clerical$30,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$20,880 – $63,700110

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianAmes, IA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Postal Service Mail CarriersNo formal educational credential	$60,840	$42,390 – $81,040	130
2	Production, Planning, and Expediting ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,800	$45,900 – $79,940	140
3	Public Safety TelecommunicatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,610	$50,700 – $68,020	40
4	Postal Service ClerksNo formal educational credential	$58,470	$42,600 – $70,490	40
5	Court, Municipal, and License ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,800	$41,980 – $67,920	80
6	Loan Interviewers and ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,580	$39,390 – $74,840	50
7	Payroll and Timekeeping ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,920	$42,340 – $69,430	30
8	Information and Record Clerks, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,710	$38,560 – $62,010	90
9	Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and ExecutiveHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,740	$36,640 – $61,600	620
10	Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and AmbulanceHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,680	$38,980 – $78,080	50
11	Office and Administrative Support Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,320	$39,290 – $61,940	70
12	Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing ClerksSome college, no degree	$47,970	$32,770 – $68,010	470
13	New Accounts ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,870	$43,360 – $58,020	50
14	Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,840	$35,630 – $60,260	210
15	Billing and Posting ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,050	$37,940 – $61,840	90
16	Office Clerks, GeneralHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,450	$30,770 – $62,820	710
17	Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and TimekeepingAssociate's degree	$45,200	$31,750 – $71,080	40
18	Data Entry KeyersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,140	$32,870 – $56,830	50
19	TellersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,060	$36,900 – $49,850	180
20	Customer Service RepresentativesHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,820	$30,820 – $63,040	690
21	Medical Secretaries and Administrative AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,210	$34,530 – $49,030	420
22	Receptionists and Information ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,170	$26,740 – $46,890	170
23	Library Assistants, ClericalHigh school diploma or equivalent	$30,070	$20,880 – $63,700	110

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Ames, IA. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

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High paying office and admin jobs in Ames, IA with no experience

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