Clerical associate vs general office clerk

The differences between clerical associates and general office 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 a general office clerk. Additionally, a general office clerk has an average salary of $30,034, 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 a general office clerk are data entry, customer service, and office equipment.

Clerical associate vs general office clerk overview

	Clerical Associate	General Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$30,024	$30,034
Hourly rate	$14.43	$14.44
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	78,648	160,597
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
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 a general office clerk do?

A general office clerk is responsible for performing various clerical duties to support business functions and ensure smooth daily operations. General office clerks respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, welcoming guests, and assisting in disseminating information across the organization. They maintain the adequacy of inventories, organize business and financial transaction reports, and perform basic bookkeeping tasks and banking transactions. A general office clerk must be highly organizational and analytical, especially in encoding account statements on the database and processing business reports required by the management.

Clerical associate vs general office clerk salary

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

	Clerical Associate	General Office Clerk
Average salary	$30,024	$30,034
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $37,000	Between $23,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Bakersfield, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Washington
Best paying company	GBS	USF Reddaway
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between clerical associate and general office clerk education

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

	Clerical Associate	General Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Clerical associate vs general office clerk demographics

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

	Clerical Associate	General Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%	Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%
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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between clerical associate and general office 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.

General office clerk example responsibilities.

Set up PowerPoint presentations using LCD projectors and computers.
Update and maintain PowerPoint presentations used for new hire orientation of management and employees.
Insert data accurately and expeditiously into the company payroll system for future retrieval.
Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
Use QuickBooks for purchase order, inventory activities and sales order.
Bag groceries, assist customers in locating merchandise, cleaning of store floors, restrooms and shelves.

Clerical associate vs general office clerk skills

Common clerical associate skills

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

Common general office clerk skills

Data Entry, 17%
Customer Service, 15%
Office Equipment, 12%
Front Desk, 11%
Word Processing, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Clerical Associate
Clerical Associate vs General Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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