Data Entry Keyers

What Data Entry Keyers Do

Operate data entry device, such as keyboard or photo composing perforator. Duties may include verifying data and preparing materials for printing.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Short-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

2.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• English Languageimportance 4.8/5
• Administrativeimportance 4.6/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.6/5
• Law and Governmentimportance 3.5/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.9/5
• Mathematicsimportance 2.9/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.8/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 2.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Spend Time Sitting4.9/5
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.9/5
• Importance of Repeating Same Tasks4.8/5
• Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions4.6/5
• Freedom to Make Decisions4.5/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5

Related Careers

• File Clerks
• Word Processors and Typists
• Office Machine Operators, Except Computer
• Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
• Office Clerks, General
• Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
• Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
• Billing and Posting Clerks

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education95% skill match
• Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks95% skill match
• Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks95% skill match
• Court, Municipal, and License Clerks95% skill match
• Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks95% skill match
• Genetic Counselors94% skill match
• Neurologists94% skill match
• Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance94% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
• Coordinationimportance 2.8/5
• Service Orientationimportance 2.8/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.6/5
• Instructingimportance 2.6/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.6/5
• Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 2.6/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Cautiousness
• Integrity
• Achievement Orientation
• Perseverance
• Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• ConventionalHigh
• RealisticMedium
• InvestigativeLow
• EnterprisingLow
• SocialLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where data entry keyers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Laredo, TX4.08× national avg
2. 2Bloomington, IN3.87× national avg
3. 3Mayaguez, PR3.40× national avg
4. 4Topeka, KS3.14× national avg
5. 5Shreveport-Bossier City, LA2.95× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Office Clerks, GeneralLateral Move
• Payroll and Timekeeping ClerksAdvancement
• First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services WorkersCareer Change
• Court, Municipal, and License ClerksLateral Move

See the full career path from Data Entry Keyers →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.