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The differences between clerks and data entry 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 clerk and a data entry clerk. Additionally, a data entry clerk has an average salary of $31,582, 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 a data entry clerk are data entry, customer service, and computer database.
| Clerk | Data Entry Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $31,163 | $31,582 |
| Hourly rate | $14.98 | $15.18 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 80,311 | 132,345 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| 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.
Data entry clerks are employees who work on the proper documentation of the data sets within the organization. They are responsible for copying in or typing in items from a source to the company database. In doing so, they provide and validate essential information to the organization. Data entry clerks are expected to assess the data and ensure that they are correct before logging them into the company database. They are required to have good attention to detail, to be able to type swiftly and accurately, and to be able to work with minimal supervision.
Clerks and data entry clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clerk | Data Entry Clerk | |
| Average salary | $31,163 | $31,582 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $39,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Washington |
| Best paying company | University of Massachusetts Boston | General Dynamics Mission Systems |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Finance |
There are a few differences between a clerk and a data entry clerk in terms of educational background:
| Clerk | Data Entry Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | - |
Here are the differences between clerks' and data entry clerks' demographics:
| Clerk | Data Entry Clerk | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% | Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1% |
| 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, 10.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |