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The differences between accounts payable/administrative assistants and accounting clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an accounts payable/administrative assistant, becoming an accounting clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an accounts payable/administrative assistant has an average salary of $41,382, which is higher than the $38,683 average annual salary of an accounting clerk.
The top three skills for an accounts payable/administrative assistant include purchase orders, data entry and vendor invoices. The most important skills for an accounting clerk are data entry, customer service, and purchase orders.
| Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant | Accounting Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $41,382 | $38,683 |
| Hourly rate | $19.90 | $18.60 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 56,780 | 106,969 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 50 | 51 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An accounts payable/administrative assistant works alongside the department head. This position focuses on the administrative side of a budgeting department. They are responsible for organizing a company's financial records, which include all documentation of financial transactions, such as invoices and receipts. They also manage all paperwork needed by their department.
Accounting clerks are employees assigned to manage administrative and clerical tasks in the accounting department. Accounting clerks handle office accounting records and ensure that files are properly labeled and stored. They validate records and check whether these are updated. They also sort through documents to ensure that they are in their proper storage bins. Aside from document handling, they also help with creating and validating financial statements and bookkeeping. As such, accounting clerks should have a strong background in accounting to manage their tasks better.
Accounts payable/administrative assistants and accounting clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant | Accounting Clerk | |
| Average salary | $41,382 | $38,683 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $56,000 | Between $29,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Providence, RI | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New York |
| Best paying company | Gypsum Management and Supply | Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Government |
There are a few differences between an accounts payable/administrative assistant and an accounting clerk in terms of educational background:
| Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant | Accounting Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accounts payable/administrative assistants' and accounting clerks' demographics:
| Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant | Accounting Clerk | |
| Average age | 50 | 51 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.6% Female, 93.4% | Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |