Back-office hiring costs, by role and city
Median pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the all-in cost with benefits and payroll taxes, for 8 back-office roles in 65 US metro areas.
A back-office hire costs about 43% more than the salary once benefits and payroll taxes are added, and the seat takes a median of 39 days to fill. Pick a role to see what it costs in each of the 65 largest US metro areas.
| Role | US median pay (a year) | All-in estimate (a year) | All-in (a month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billing Specialist | $48,500 | $69,300 | $5,770 |
| Accounts Receivable Clerk | $50,670 | $72,400 | $6,030 |
| Collections Specialist | $47,030 | $67,200 | $5,600 |
| Data Entry Clerk | $41,340 | $59,100 | $4,920 |
| Order Entry Clerk | $46,170 | $66,000 | $5,500 |
| Administrative Assistant | $47,540 | $67,900 | $5,660 |
| Office Clerk | $45,010 | $64,300 | $5,360 |
| Dispatcher | $50,340 | $71,900 | $5,990 |
The alternative to hiring
Dull is a done-for-you back-office service. We take on the work in the tools you already use, a person reviews every exception, and you approve anything involving money. It’s a flat monthly fee, quoted on a 15-minute call, month to month.
How we worked these out
Median pay is the May 2025 median annual wage from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. The all-in estimate is median ÷ 0.70, because wages are 70.0% of total compensation for private-industry workers (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026). Time to fill is SHRM’s median of 39 days.
Frequently asked questions
For the eight roles here, US median pay ranges from $41,340 to $50,670 a year (BLS, May 2025). Add about 43% for benefits and payroll taxes to get the all-in cost, plus recruiting and a median 39 days to fill the seat.
Wages are 70.0% of what private employers spend per worker (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026). The other 30% is benefits and employer payroll taxes, so all-in is about salary ÷ 0.70.
Yes. Dull takes on accounts receivable, billing, collections, accounts payable, data entry and office admin work in your own tools for a flat monthly fee, quoted on a 15-minute call, month to month.
Median pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, by metropolitan area.