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The differences between clerical staff and office support specialists 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 staff and an office support specialist. Additionally, an office support specialist has an average salary of $36,549, which is higher than the $32,118 average annual salary of a clerical staff.
The top three skills for a clerical staff include data entry, patients and clerical support. The most important skills for an office support specialist are customer service, data entry, and phone calls.
| Clerical Staff | Office Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $32,118 | $36,549 |
| Hourly rate | $15.44 | $17.57 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 85,811 | 130,301 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Clerical staff and office support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clerical Staff | Office Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $32,118 | $36,549 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $40,000 | Between $29,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oxnard, CA | Billerica, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Contra Costa College | Anne Arundel County Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a clerical staff and an office support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Clerical Staff | Office Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between clerical staff' and office support specialists' demographics:
| Clerical Staff | Office Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3% | Male, 17.8% Female, 82.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 7.9% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.8% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |