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The differences between clerks and 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 and an assistant. Additionally, an assistant has an average salary of $37,363, which is higher than the $31,163 average annual salary of a clerk.
The top three skills for a clerk include basic math, math and data entry. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Clerk | Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $31,163 | $37,363 |
| Hourly rate | $14.98 | $17.96 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 80,311 | 557,900 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Clerks are responsible for many of the general administrative tasks in the office. They are in charge of manning office telephone lines, managing incoming and outgoing mails, filing paperwork and other needed records, scheduling and documenting meetings, typing out documents when needed, disseminating memos and other official announcements, and keeping an inventory of office equipment and supplies. Clerks should have good office skills, communication skills, business writing skills, and time management skills. They should also be able to treat any document or paperwork they handle with confidentiality.
An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.
Clerks and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clerk | Assistant | |
| Average salary | $31,163 | $37,363 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $39,000 | Between $16,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | University of Massachusetts Boston | Latham & Watkins |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Education |
There are a few differences between a clerk and an assistant in terms of educational background:
| Clerk | Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between clerks' and assistants' demographics:
| Clerk | Assistant | |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% | Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.7% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |