Social Services
Clergy
Conduct religious worship and perform other spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination. Provide spiritual and moral guidance and assistance to members.
Median salary (BLS)
$60,810
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$38k – $99k
Job outlook
+1% (about average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $87,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Clergy
Education
Typical entry: Master's degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Clergy
Entry / Junior
$37,860
~2 yrs to advance
Clergy
Established
$60,810
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Clergy
Senior
$79,850
Key skills
A typical day
- •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.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Social Services
Explore all- University of Michigan18% admit · $87,000 grad pay
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill19% admit · $73,000 grad pay
- University of Chicago5% admit · $91,000 grad pay
- Columbia University4% admit · $103,000 grad pay
- University of Wisconsin–Madison49% admit · $72,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.