Administrative support staff vs support clerk

The differences between administrative support staff and support 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 a support clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a support clerk has an average salary of $35,159, which is higher than the $33,602 average annual salary of an administrative support staff.

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

Administrative support staff vs support clerk overview

	Administrative Support Staff	Support Clerk
Yearly salary	$33,602	$35,159
Hourly rate	$16.15	$16.90
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	162,436	163,168
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	2

Administrative support staff vs support clerk salary

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

	Administrative Support Staff	Support Clerk
Average salary	$33,602	$35,159
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $22,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	-	San Diego, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between administrative support staff and support clerk education

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

	Administrative Support Staff	Support Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Stanford University

Administrative support staff vs support clerk demographics

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

	Administrative Support Staff	Support Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5%	Male, 26.1% Female, 73.9%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 8.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between administrative support staff and support 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.

Support clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Inform eligible or potentially eligible individuals with Medicaid cover service and how to use them.
Assist in development and creation of provider workshop materials to include manuals, PowerPoint presentations, and registration materials.
Organize and locate inventory and update companies QuickBooks.
Prepare subpoenas for document production, deposition and trial appearance/testimony.
Record results in database from medical questionnaires complete by individuals presenting Medicaid claims.

Administrative support staff vs support 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 support clerk skills

Customer Service, 19%
Data Entry, 15%
Patients, 10%
Clerical Support, 6%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Office Equipment, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Administrative Support Staff
Administrative Support Staff vs Support Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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