Clerical associate vs administrative clerk

The differences between clerical associates and administrative clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a clerical associate and an administrative clerk. Additionally, an administrative clerk has an average salary of $32,327, which is higher than the $30,024 average annual salary of a clerical associate.

The top three skills for a clerical associate include patients, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for an administrative clerk are customer service, data entry, and patients.

Clerical associate vs administrative clerk overview

	Clerical Associate	Administrative Clerk
Yearly salary	$30,024	$32,327
Hourly rate	$14.43	$15.54
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	78,648	137,639
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a clerical associate do?

A clerical associate is someone who carries out administrative tasks. Clerical associates photocopy, distribute mail, put together mailings, send faxes, respond to emails, and type letters. The associate's order office supplies, convey messages to staff members, handle payroll, and manage conference rooms. They check records for information accuracy and policy and procedure conformity. It is part of their responsibilities to perform projects for patient care facilitation. Also, they provide support to the mental health clinic in terms of patient care and satisfaction survey distribution and collection.

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.

Clerical associate vs administrative clerk salary

Clerical associates and administrative clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clerical Associate	Administrative Clerk
Average salary	$30,024	$32,327
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $37,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Bakersfield, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Washington
Best paying company	GBS	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between clerical associate and administrative clerk education

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

	Clerical Associate	Administrative Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Clerical associate vs administrative clerk demographics

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

	Clerical Associate	Administrative Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 7.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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	6%	6%

Differences between clerical associate and administrative clerk duties and responsibilities

Clerical associate example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Apply ICD-9, CPT and HCPCS codes for outpatient treatments.
Obtain and properly distributes messages using EMR.
Fax radiology reports and make calls regarding abnormal reports.
Coordinate patient radiology exams as well as patient procedures.
Update clinical records associate with patient visits in MYSIS EMR system.

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 associate vs administrative clerk skills

Common clerical associate skills

Patients, 23%
Data Entry, 11%
Customer Service, 11%
Phone Calls, 5%
Clerical Functions, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

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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Clerical Associate
Clerical Associate vs Administrative Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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