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Are data entry and typing jobs from home real?
Real ones exist, in a shrinking field paying a US median of $19.88 an hour. Scam offers copy them because the job sounds easy.
The real numbers
US medianPay slip
$19.88
an hour, employed data entry keyers
✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026
A yearPay slip
$41,340
2025 median
✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026
OutlookPay slip
Decline
of 1% or more to 2035
✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026
Real job or fake?
| Sign | Real job | Fake job |
|---|---|---|
| How you heard | You applied | A text or WhatsApp out of the blue |
| Money | They pay you | You pay for training, software or a deposit |
| Cheques | None up front | A cheque to deposit, with some to send on |
| The pay | Close to the median | Far more than the work is worth |
“Honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job.”US Federal Trade Commission
See the full numbers on our data entry page.
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Sources
- O*NET (US Department of Labor): Data Entry Keyers, checked 5 Nov 2026
- FTC: job scams, checked 5 Nov 2026
- FTC Data Spotlight: Paying to get paid (12 Dec 2024), checked 5 Nov 2026