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The differences between administrative assistants and clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an administrative assistant and a clerk. Additionally, an administrative assistant has an average salary of $34,945, which is higher than the $31,163 average annual salary of a clerk.
The top three skills for an administrative assistant include customer service, data entry and powerpoint. The most important skills for a clerk are basic math, math, and data entry.
| Administrative Assistant | Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $34,945 | $31,163 |
| Hourly rate | $16.80 | $14.98 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 65,769 | 80,311 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.14 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 50 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.
Clerks are responsible for many of the general administrative tasks in the office. They are in charge of manning office telephone lines, managing incoming and outgoing mails, filing paperwork and other needed records, scheduling and documenting meetings, typing out documents when needed, disseminating memos and other official announcements, and keeping an inventory of office equipment and supplies. Clerks should have good office skills, communication skills, business writing skills, and time management skills. They should also be able to treat any document or paperwork they handle with confidentiality.
Administrative assistants and clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Assistant | Clerk | |
| Average salary | $34,945 | $31,163 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $46,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Westfield State University | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an administrative assistant and a clerk in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Assistant | Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between administrative assistants' and clerks' demographics:
| Administrative Assistant | Clerk | |
| Average age | 50 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.7% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |