SOC 31-1132.00

    Orderlies

    Transport patients to areas such as operating rooms or x-ray rooms using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds.

    Median pay
    $38,290
    Growth
    +4.0%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    7,200
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $32,240
    Median
    $38,290
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $50,600
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    52,440 people work in this occupation.

    What orderlies do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Transport patients to areas such as operating rooms or x-ray rooms using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds. May maintain stocks of supplies or clean and transport equipment. Psychiatric orderlies are included in Psychiatric Aides.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    74 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    17 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    53 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    3 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    64 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCS. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Assisting and Caring for Others
    83
    Performing General Physical Activities
    81
    Handling and Moving Objects
    81
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    79
    Getting Information
    74
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    74
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    72
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    72
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    68
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    60
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Service Orientation
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Active Listening
    • Speaking
    • Coordination
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Monitoring
    • Writing
    • Reading Comprehension

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Public Safety and Security
    • English Language
    • Transportation
    • Education and Training
    • Psychology
    • Telecommunications
    • Administration and Management
    • Communications and Media
    • Foreign Language

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Trunk Strength
    • Oral Expression
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Static Strength
    • Near Vision
    • Extent Flexibility
    • Speech Clarity
    • Dynamic Strength

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Empathy
    • Attention to Detail
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Cautiousness
    • Optimism
    • Social Orientation

    Also called

    Attendant · Cart Attendant · Clinical Support Associate · Emergency Room Orderly · Hospice Entrance Attendant · Hospital Corpsman · Hospital Orderly · Infirmary Attendant · Institutional Aide · Medical Orderly

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What orderlies may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    14 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.