Administrative clerk vs clerical/administrative assistant

The differences between administrative clerks and clerical/administrative assistants 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 clerk and a clerical/administrative assistant. Additionally, an administrative clerk has an average salary of $32,327, which is higher than the $30,983 average annual salary of a clerical/administrative assistant.

The top three skills for an administrative clerk include customer service, data entry and patients. The most important skills for a clerical/administrative assistant are data entry, word processing, and payroll.

Administrative clerk vs clerical/administrative assistant overview

	Administrative Clerk	Clerical/Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$32,327	$30,983
Hourly rate	$15.54	$14.90
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	137,639	56,261
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	47	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an administrative clerk do?

An administrative clerk provides support to staff and does clerical works. These clerical duties include answering and making phone calls, typing documents, compiling and filing records, and scheduling appointments. The clerks often set up office meetings and invite reliable speakers. Also, they do research and prepare reports or presentations. Candidates for the job must be organized, detail-oriented, and can manage their time well. They must be tech-savvy and have a basic knowledge of bookkeeping. The salary depends on their experience, industry, and location of the job.

What does a clerical/administrative assistant do?

An administrative assistant, also known as a secretary or office clerk, is someone who carries out daily clerical and administrative tasks. Admin assistants do a variety of tasks such as answering phone calls, organizing files, maintaining contacts, schedule meetings and appointments, and many more. Their task can be extensive, depending on the needs of operations and higher management. They serve as a gatekeeper of the company, so strong verbal and written communication skills are a must. They should also exhibit great organizational skills and time management since they act as the resource of the company.

Administrative clerk vs clerical/administrative assistant salary

Administrative clerks and clerical/administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Clerk	Clerical/Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$32,327	$30,983
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $40,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	University of California
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between administrative clerk and clerical/administrative assistant education

There are a few differences between an administrative clerk and a clerical/administrative assistant in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Clerk	Clerical/Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Administrative clerk vs clerical/administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between administrative clerks' and clerical/administrative assistants' demographics:

	Administrative Clerk	Clerical/Administrative Assistant
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between administrative clerk and clerical/administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Administrative clerk example responsibilities.

Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
Assist teachers with GED packets for students.
Ship orders via customers freight line request (ex.
Schedule and administer the GED exam upon the completion of the inmate's profile.
Enter data in spreadsheets for reports, auction items, payroll and monthly utility accounts.
Process all DMV registration, titles, title flips and plates using CVR and TriVin programs.

Clerical/administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Work with QuickBooks to manage store invoices and accounts.
Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA.
Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
Check patients in and out, EMR, collect co-pays, answer phones, and take patients to exam rooms.
Assist with preparing and printing of exhibits, spreadsheets and PowerPoint slides as needed.
Maintain payroll and expense information.

Administrative clerk vs clerical/administrative assistant skills

Common administrative clerk skills

Customer Service, 17%
Data Entry, 16%
Patients, 9%
Word Processing, 6%
Payroll Data, 5%
Database Systems, 4%

Common clerical/administrative assistant skills

Data Entry, 31%
Word Processing, 18%
Payroll, 14%
Customer Service, 7%
Scheduling Appointments, 4%
Clerical Support, 3%

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Administrative Clerk
Administrative Clerk vs Clerical/Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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