Bank Teller Salary Income Revealed for All 50 States

Tellers work in various financial institutions, and they are responsible for accurately processing routine transactions, providing customer service, and more. Some of the common duties include cashing checks, depositing money, and collecting loan payments. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a bank teller in 2014 was $26,650, while the average hourly wage was $12.81.

This is an “entry-level” position in the financial or banking industry, and you can become a teller with little experience or education. Tellers often go on to work as head tellers, loan officers, or bank managers.

In this article, you’ll learn the salary statistics for a bank teller for all 50 states, the job duties, the likes and dislikes of this profession, and more.

Bank Teller Job Duties

Tellers are responsible for accurately processing routine transactions at a bank. The common duties of a bank teller are listed below.

Cash checks, deposit funds, or collect loan payments from customers
Provide customer service, including answering account inquiries or balance information
Prepare specialized financial products or services, such as traveler’s checks, savings bonds, cashier’s checks, and money orders
Exchange dollars for foreign currency
Count the cash in their drawer at the start of their shift or end
Order bank cards and checks for customers
Record all transactions electronically throughout their shift

Teller Education Requirements

Tellers usually need a high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent. Some tellers may take some college courses, but a degree is rarely required for a job applicant to be hired. Some certificate courses are also available but rarely required.

In most cases, banks and other financial institution will hire a teller and provide on-the-job training. New tellers often work under a head teller or other experienced tellers until they are ready to work without supervision.

Do Tellers Like Their Job?

As with any job, tellers do have their job likes and dislikes:

Pros of Working as a Teller:

Many tellers like the working conditions and hours, and they often enjoy weekends and holidays off.
Working as a teller provides excellent experience and room for advancement to other banking positions (head teller, loan officer, bank manager).
Many tellers enjoy working with customers, and this is a job where people skills can come in handy.

Cons of Working as a Teller:

You may have to deal with rude customers, especially when their accounts become unbalanced.
Many tellers feel that they are underpaid.
Tellers become stressed when their cash drawer comes up short.
There is a real risk of bank robberies. A man by the name of Willie Sutton was an infamous bank robber. He spent his entire career robbing banks but was eventually caught. He was once asked why he robbed banks. He replied, “because that’s where the money is.”

Bank Teller Job Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, tellers held about 520,500 jobs in 2014. About 91 percent worked in the depository credit intermediation industry, which includes commercial bank branches.

Employment of tellers is projected to decline 8 percent from 2014 to 2024. This is mostly due to the emergence of the online banking systems, mergers, and technological changes.