Department secretary vs administrative clerk

The differences between department secretaries and administrative 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 department secretary and an administrative clerk. Additionally, a department secretary has an average salary of $35,473, which is higher than the $32,327 average annual salary of an administrative clerk.

The top three skills for a department secretary include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for an administrative clerk are customer service, data entry, and patients.

Department secretary vs administrative clerk overview

	Department Secretary	Administrative Clerk
Yearly salary	$35,473	$32,327
Hourly rate	$17.05	$15.54
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	80,303	137,639
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	50	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a department secretary do?

A department secretary is responsible for providing administrative and clerical support to a specific department, ensuring smooth operations to maintain high-quality services to the customers and business partners. Department secretaries should have excellent knowledge of office management principles, especially on data processing procedures and customer service processes. They handle the scheduling of meetings and conferences, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, directing visitors to the appropriate personnel and department, sorting files, and submitting business transactions and financial reports. A department secretary also recommends strategic procedures to generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability.

What does an administrative clerk do?

An administrative clerk provides support to staff and does clerical works. These clerical duties include answering and making phone calls, typing documents, compiling and filing records, and scheduling appointments. The clerks often set up office meetings and invite reliable speakers. Also, they do research and prepare reports or presentations. Candidates for the job must be organized, detail-oriented, and can manage their time well. They must be tech-savvy and have a basic knowledge of bookkeeping. The salary depends on their experience, industry, and location of the job.

Department secretary vs administrative clerk salary

Department secretaries and administrative clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Secretary	Administrative Clerk
Average salary	$35,473	$32,327
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $47,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Oakland, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Brigham and Women's Hospital	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between department secretary and administrative clerk education

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

	Department Secretary	Administrative Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Western Carolina University

Department secretary vs administrative clerk demographics

Here are the differences between department secretaries' and administrative clerks' demographics:

	Department Secretary	Administrative Clerk
Average age	50	47
Gender ratio	Male, 7.0% Female, 93.0%	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between department secretary and administrative clerk duties and responsibilities

Department secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Volunteer for ISO auditor duties to ensure ISO procedures are followed for certification.
Perform payroll functions, including maintaining timekeeping information and processing and submitting payroll.
Prepare materials for monthly board of directors meetings including PowerPoint presentations, agendas and minutes.
Complete all payroll documentation, enter all payroll documentation into computer program, and submit to payroll department.
Create PowerPoint presentations used for business development, organize files and develop spreadsheets, fax reports and scan documents.

Administrative clerk example responsibilities.

Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
Assist teachers with GED packets for students.
Ship orders via customers freight line request (ex.
Schedule and administer the GED exam upon the completion of the inmate's profile.
Enter data in spreadsheets for reports, auction items, payroll and monthly utility accounts.
Process all DMV registration, titles, title flips and plates using CVR and TriVin programs.

Department secretary vs administrative clerk skills

Common department secretary skills

Patients, 22%
Customer Service, 10%
Data Entry, 7%
Medical Terminology, 7%
Patient Care, 4%
Word Processing, 4%

Common administrative clerk skills

Customer Service, 17%
Data Entry, 16%
Patients, 9%
Word Processing, 6%
Payroll Data, 5%
Database Systems, 4%

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Department Secretary
Department Secretary vs Administrative Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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