Clerk specialist vs administrative support specialist

The differences between clerks specialist and administrative 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 clerk specialist and an administrative support specialist. Additionally, an administrative support specialist has an average salary of $38,244, which is higher than the $34,038 average annual salary of a clerk specialist.

The top three skills for a clerk specialist include data entry, office equipment and customer service. The most important skills for an administrative support specialist are customer service, data entry, and patients.

Clerk specialist vs administrative support specialist overview

	Clerk Specialist	Administrative Support Specialist
Yearly salary	$34,038	$38,244
Hourly rate	$16.36	$18.39
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	90,967	139,654
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	47	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does a clerk specialist do?

A Clerk Specialist is an information clerk that people can refer to when they have inquiries. Businesses place the Clerk Specialist under the umbrella of a receptionist and are often highly knowledgeable of company policies, provide solutions to problems, and handle customer complaints. A Clerk Specialist's main requirements are strong interpersonal communication skills and a high tolerance when under pressure.

What does an administrative support specialist do?

An administrative support specialist is an individual who is involved in the office management, clerical tasks, and back-office duties of an organization. To run the office smoothly, administrative support specialists must manage the purchasing and inventory of office supplies as well as schedule the maintenance of office equipment. They serve as a liaison for executives by screening incoming calls and emails, sorting mails, and setting appointments with employees, customers, and vendors. Administrative support specialists must also be able to draft memos and edit report proposals and other business documents.

Clerk specialist vs administrative support specialist salary

Clerks specialist and administrative support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clerk Specialist	Administrative Support Specialist
Average salary	$34,038	$38,244
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $43,000	Between $29,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Providence, RI	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Connecticut
Best paying company	Lifespan	King County
Best paying industry	Energy	Government

Differences between clerk specialist and administrative support specialist education

There are a few differences between a clerk specialist and an administrative support specialist in terms of educational background:

	Clerk Specialist	Administrative Support Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Clerk specialist vs administrative support specialist demographics

Here are the differences between clerks specialist' and administrative support specialists' demographics:

	Clerk Specialist	Administrative Support Specialist
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3%	Male, 20.5% Female, 79.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 7.3% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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%

Differences between clerk specialist and administrative support specialist duties and responsibilities

Clerk specialist example responsibilities.

Manage orthopedic accounts regarding payment posting through IDX medical systems.
Assist in preliminary budget, preparation; prepare departmental payroll, statistical data and reports.
Check visitation/meeting rooms for cleanliness; print daily visitation/meeting room schedules; and escort parents/attendees to visitation/meeting rooms.
Answer phones with the ability to provide accurate information and education on the communicability and disease process of tuberculosis.

Administrative support specialist example responsibilities.

Create PowerPoint presentations, manage spreadsheet information/graphs and provide reports as necessary.
Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Assist SharePoint intranet creation and documentation.
Generate PowerPoint presentations for meetings and training.
Maintain and post unit documents utilizing SharePoint.
Maintain files on all division civilian personnel, submit accurate payroll sheets for assign civilian personnel.

Clerk specialist vs administrative support specialist skills

Common clerk specialist skills

Data Entry, 18%
Office Equipment, 15%
Customer Service, 13%
Front Desk, 5%
Payroll, 5%
Computer System, 5%

Common administrative support specialist skills

Customer Service, 16%
Data Entry, 8%
Patients, 6%
PowerPoint, 5%
Administrative Functions, 4%
Office Equipment, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Clerk Specialist
Clerk Specialist vs Administrative Support Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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