A desk clerk is otherwise called a general office clerk. He/She performs a variety of clerical tasks. His/Her duties vary by the industry of employment. Generally, a desk clerk is the first point of contact in an organization. They are the ones people talk to about their inquiries. They keep information organized and fill paperwork such as letters, invoices, and purchase orders. Also, they may maintain monthly calendars and schedules for other employees, informing all involved parties of any changes promptly. Additionally, they maintain an inventory of office supplies and restock them as needed.
Generally, a high school diploma or its equivalent is required for this job. You must be experienced with using voicemail systems, fax machines, computer software programs, filing systems, and printers. You must possess time management, problem-solving, attention to detail, interpersonal, and organization skills. Desk clerks earn as high as $37,000 yearly, with an average of $25,363 and a low of $18,000.
What is a Desk Clerk?
What Does a Desk Clerk Do
There are certain skills that many desk clerks have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, integrity and interpersonal skills.
How To Become a Desk Clerk
If you're interested in becoming a desk clerk, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 35.2% of desk clerks have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.2% of desk clerks have master's degrees. Even though some desk clerks have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Desk Clerk Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a desk clerk can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as certified nursing assistant, progress to a title such as team leader and then eventually end up with the title office manager.
Average Salary for a Desk Clerk
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Desk Clerk Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active desk clerk jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where desk clerks earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Desk Clerk Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 6,109 | $37,041 |
| 2 | Texas | 3,659 | $25,245 |
| 3 | Florida | 3,610 | $27,433 |
| 4 | New York | 2,618 | $34,702 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 2,100 | $27,798 |
| 6 | Ohio | 1,807 | $25,099 |
| 7 | Illinois | 1,765 | $27,461 |
| 8 | Michigan | 1,569 | $24,660 |
| 9 | Georgia | 1,566 | $24,132 |
| 10 | Virginia | 1,390 | $25,128 |
| 11 | Washington | 1,328 | $36,221 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 1,327 | $24,030 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | 1,283 | $33,129 |
| 14 | Minnesota | 1,224 | $29,080 |
| 15 | Indiana | 1,210 | $25,503 |
| 16 | Tennessee | 1,188 | $25,632 |
| 17 | New Jersey | 1,122 | $29,536 |
| 18 | Missouri | 1,088 | $24,297 |
| 19 | Colorado | 1,075 | $32,784 |
| 20 | Maryland | 1,014 | $31,757 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 1,003 | $25,677 |
| 22 | Arizona | 750 | $30,486 |
| 23 | South Carolina | 691 | $24,360 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 671 | $29,962 |
| 25 | Kentucky | 666 | $22,981 |
| 26 | Utah | 657 | $30,873 |
| 27 | Kansas | 634 | $23,852 |
| 28 | Iowa | 573 | $22,069 |
| 29 | Alabama | 473 | $22,928 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | 456 | $23,687 |
| 31 | Louisiana | 388 | $23,595 |
| 32 | Oregon | 374 | $35,541 |
| 33 | Nebraska | 359 | $25,128 |
| 34 | New Mexico | 305 | $29,068 |
| 35 | Mississippi | 288 | $21,869 |
| 36 | Arkansas | 282 | $23,895 |
| 37 | Idaho | 267 | $26,236 |
| 38 | Nevada | 226 | $34,500 |
| 39 | Delaware | 216 | $30,024 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | 210 | $28,960 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 201 | $23,246 |
| 42 | South Dakota | 178 | $23,271 |
| 43 | Maine | 171 | $29,276 |
| 44 | Montana | 169 | $23,616 |
| 45 | Rhode Island | 164 | $31,614 |
| 46 | Alaska | 160 | $26,876 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 158 | $30,786 |
| 48 | Vermont | 99 | $30,297 |
| 49 | North Dakota | 99 | $28,945 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 96 | $24,622 |
Top Skills For a Desk Clerk
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 22.2% of desk clerks listed reservations on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and integrity are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Desk Clerk Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Desk Clerk templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Desk Clerk resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Desk Clerk Demographics
Desk Clerk Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among desk clerks, 70.0% of them are women, while 30.0% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among desk clerks is White, which makes up 59.3% of all desk clerks.
- The most common foreign language among desk clerks is Spanish at 64.2%.
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Best States For a Desk Clerk
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a desk clerk. The best states for people in this position are California, Washington, Oregon, and New York. Desk clerks make the most in California with an average salary of $37,041. Whereas in Washington and Oregon, they would average $36,221 and $35,541, respectively. While desk clerks would only make an average of $34,702 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. California
$37,041
Avg. Salary
2. New York
$34,702
Avg. Salary
3. Washington
$36,221
Avg. Salary
How Do Desk Clerk Rate Their Jobs?
5.0
5.0
What do you like the most about working as Desk Clerk?
Helping People.As a child my Mom was a Nurse in Long-term Care. And as My Mom, I get the most out of life when I'm helping someone. Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
Graveyard Shifts! Staying up alnight is hard most nights that I had to work from midnight to 8am. And watching people suffer the most at that hour of the night morning. Show MoreTop Desk Clerk Employers
Most Common Employers For Desk Clerk
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King Soopers/City Market | $31,697 | $15.24 | 102 |
| 2 | The John Stewart Company | $31,590 | $15.19 | 30 |
| 3 | Meijer | $30,566 | $14.70 | 42 |
| 4 | Community Housing Partners | $30,448 | $14.64 | 56 |
| 5 | Shaw's Supermarket | $30,443 | $14.64 | 48 |
| 6 | Oklahoma State University | $30,408 | $14.62 | 27 |
| 7 | Best Western | $30,320 | $14.58 | 172 |
| 8 | Quality Inn Gettysburg Battlefield | $30,016 | $14.43 | 65 |
| 9 | The University of Chicago | $29,977 | $14.41 | 26 |
| 10 | G6 Hospitality | $29,955 | $14.40 | 170 |
Desk Clerk Videos
