Clerical worker vs receptionist secretary

The differences between clerical workers and receptionist secretaries 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 worker and a receptionist secretary. Additionally, a clerical worker has an average salary of $31,390, which is higher than the $29,343 average annual salary of a receptionist secretary.

The top three skills for a clerical worker include data entry, scheduling appointments and customer service. The most important skills for a receptionist secretary are patients, data entry, and phone calls.

Clerical worker vs receptionist secretary overview

	Clerical Worker	Receptionist Secretary
Yearly salary	$31,390	$29,343
Hourly rate	$15.09	$14.11
Growth rate	-5%	-
Number of jobs	68,947	61,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	47	42
Years of experience	2	2

Clerical worker vs receptionist secretary salary

Clerical workers and receptionist secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clerical Worker	Receptionist Secretary
Average salary	$31,390	$29,343
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $24,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	-	Lake Oswego, OR
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Illinois Institute of Technology
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between clerical worker and receptionist secretary education

There are a few differences between a clerical worker and a receptionist secretary in terms of educational background:

	Clerical Worker	Receptionist Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Clerical worker vs receptionist secretary demographics

Here are the differences between clerical workers' and receptionist secretaries' demographics:

	Clerical Worker	Receptionist Secretary
Average age	47	42
Gender ratio	Male, 23.0% Female, 77.0%	Male, 5.6% Female, 94.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 7.7% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between clerical worker and receptionist secretary duties and responsibilities

Clerical worker example responsibilities.

Manage filing, photocopying, collating, and faxing public and seal case documents.
Handle customers at the front windows
Schedule contracts of windows sell with installers.
Prepare court subpoenas and criminal dockets for court.
Update files by using QuickBooks and answer the telephone and take brief messages.
Type, format, proofread, and edit correspondence and other documents, using computers or typewriters.

Receptionist secretary example responsibilities.

Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Maintain confidential information/ HIPPA compliant.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations and distribute meeting materials.
Maintain confidentiality and release health records information following HIPPA guidelines.
Develop and present PowerPoint presentations to visiting dignitaries from higher headquarters.
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.

Clerical worker vs receptionist secretary skills

Common clerical worker skills

Data Entry, 24%
Scheduling Appointments, 18%
Customer Service, 11%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Database Systems, 5%
Front Desk, 4%

Common receptionist secretary skills

Patients, 15%
Data Entry, 12%
Phone Calls, 11%
Customer Service, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Appointment Scheduling, 7%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Clerical Worker
Clerical Worker vs Receptionist Secretary

Updated January 8, 2025

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