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The differences between data entry clerks and general 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 data entry clerk and a general clerk. Additionally, a general clerk has an average salary of $33,254, which is higher than the $31,582 average annual salary of a data entry clerk.
The top three skills for a data entry clerk include data entry, customer service and computer database. The most important skills for a general clerk are customer service, data entry, and office procedures.
| Data Entry Clerk | General Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $31,582 | $33,254 |
| Hourly rate | $15.18 | $15.99 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 132,345 | 141,570 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 28% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
General clerks are responsible for a variety of miscellaneous and administrative tasks within an organization. These include answering and transferring calls, sorting and delivering incoming emails, and scheduling appointments. They are also responsible for providing information to clients and staff members, preparing and processing bills and office documents, and performing data entry tasks. General clerks are often employed in almost all industries. This position typically requires a high school diploma and basic knowledge of computer applications such as spreadsheet software and word processing.
Data entry clerks and general clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Data Entry Clerk | General Clerk | |
| Average salary | $31,582 | $33,254 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $38,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | General Dynamics Mission Systems | National Grid plc |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a data entry clerk and a general clerk in terms of educational background:
| Data Entry Clerk | General Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 28% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between data entry clerks' and general clerks' demographics:
| Data Entry Clerk | General Clerk | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1% | Male, 33.1% Female, 66.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 9.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |