Clerk/assistant vs office assistant

The differences between clerks/assistant and office assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a clerk/assistant and an office assistant. Additionally, a clerk/assistant has an average salary of $32,674, which is higher than the $31,517 average annual salary of an office assistant.

The top three skills for a clerk/assistant include customer support, telephone calls and word processing. The most important skills for an office assistant are data entry, patients, and customer service.

Clerk/assistant vs office assistant overview

	Clerk/Assistant	Office Assistant
Yearly salary	$32,674	$31,517
Hourly rate	$15.71	$15.15
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	114,718	103,293
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a clerk/assistant do?

A clerk is someone who performs administrative tasks assigned by a manager or by other employees. The job includes responsibilities like dealing with correspondence, data maintenance through manual or computer systems, filing, and related general office duties. It involves typing letters, reports, and any other business-related documents. Clerks sort and respond to emails or forward them to other employees. They need to develop skills in typing, administrative duties, customer service and relations, and attention to detail.

What does an office assistant do?

Office assistants perform various tasks to ensure that the business runs organized and efficient. An office assistant must possess excellent communication and multi-tasking skills to handle essential duties such as scheduling meetings, monitoring office supplies, storing documents and necessary paperwork, handling customer inquiries and appointments, coordinating in company events, and accomplishing other clerical tasks and administrative support. Office assistants are also required to communicate any observation that would possibly make an impact on the company's performance.

Clerk/assistant vs office assistant salary

Clerks/assistant and office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clerk/Assistant	Office Assistant
Average salary	$32,674	$31,517
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $24,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Long Beach, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Vermont
Best paying company	United States Courts	Analysis Group
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between clerk/assistant and office assistant education

There are a few differences between a clerk/assistant and an office assistant in terms of educational background:

	Clerk/Assistant	Office Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Clerk/assistant vs office assistant demographics

Here are the differences between clerks/assistant' and office assistants' demographics:

	Clerk/Assistant	Office Assistant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5%	Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 8.3% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 8.3% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between clerk/assistant and office assistant duties and responsibilities

Clerk/assistant example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Create and present PowerPoint presentations for senior level staff.
Compose a weekly PowerPoint presentation regarding company highlights.
Review payroll to ensure accuracy, compile payroll records and distribute paychecks.
Schedule radiology procedures and appointments accurately, and in a timely manner.
Demonstrate administrative and customer service expertise with responsibility for resolving payroll relate questions.

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Office assistant example responsibilities.

Manage filing, photocopying, collating, and faxing public and seal case documents.
Manage CI s SharePoint pages and serve as CI s subject matter expert on SharePoint working groups.
Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Compile payroll records, detect and reconcile discrepancies, accurately report outcomes using QuickBooks.
Maintain office services by organizing office operations and procedures, preparing payroll, controlling correspondences, and designing filing systems.
File client paperwork upholding HIPAA standards.

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Clerk/assistant vs office assistant skills

Common clerk/assistant skills

Customer Support, 14%
Telephone Calls, 13%
Word Processing, 11%
Payroll, 7%
Purchase Orders, 5%
Office Machines, 5%

Common office assistant skills

Data Entry, 16%
Patients, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Scheduling Appointments, 6%
Front Desk, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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