Administrative support staff vs administrative clerk

The differences between administrative support staff and administrative clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an administrative support staff, becoming an administrative clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an administrative support staff has an average salary of $33,602, which is higher than the $32,327 average annual salary of an administrative clerk.

The top three skills for an administrative support staff include excellent interpersonal, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for an administrative clerk are customer service, data entry, and patients.

Administrative support staff vs administrative clerk overview

	Administrative Support Staff	Administrative Clerk
Yearly salary	$33,602	$32,327
Hourly rate	$16.15	$15.54
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	162,436	137,639
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	2

Administrative support staff vs administrative clerk salary

Administrative support staff and administrative clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Support Staff	Administrative Clerk
Average salary	$33,602	$32,327
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between administrative support staff and administrative clerk education

There are a few differences between an administrative support staff and an administrative clerk in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Support Staff	Administrative Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Western Carolina University

Administrative support staff vs administrative clerk demographics

Here are the differences between administrative support staff' and administrative clerks' demographics:

	Administrative Support Staff	Administrative Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5%	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between administrative support staff and administrative clerk duties and responsibilities

Administrative support staff example responsibilities.

Create PowerPoint presentations, manage spreadsheet information/graphs and provide reports as necessary.
Maintain SharePoint site for SEDD branch.
Prepare and release medical records in accordance with HIPAA policy.
Process submission of employee's retirement contributions, payroll and insurance benefits.
Assist project and event coordinators with the logistics and operations of various projects.
Monitor client payments, enter and adjust payroll, and create credit and billing invoices.

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.

Administrative support staff vs administrative clerk skills

Common administrative support staff skills

Excellent Interpersonal, 20%
Data Entry, 14%
Customer Service, 10%
Word Processing, 7%
Scheduling Appointments, 6%
Personnel Data, 6%

Common administrative clerk skills

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

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Administrative Support Staff
Administrative Support Staff vs Administrative Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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