Desk clerk vs clerk

The differences between desk clerks and clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clerk has an average salary of $31,163, which is higher than the $29,096 average annual salary of a desk clerk.

The top three skills for a desk clerk include reservations, front desk and customer service. The most important skills for a clerk are basic math, math, and data entry.

Desk clerk vs clerk overview

	Desk Clerk	Clerk
Yearly salary	$29,096	$31,163
Hourly rate	$13.99	$14.98
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	113,183	80,311
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	37	47
Years of experience	-	2

What does a desk clerk do?

The desk clerk or general office clerk is an employee who works with little supervision from the manager. The duties and responsibilities of desk clerks vary depending on the industry they belong to. These may include but are not limited to answering phone calls, electronic correspondence, filing paperwork, taking and maintaining inventory levels, and setting calendars and schedules. They are expected to always offer excellent customer service. In hotels, they check-in and check-out their guests.

What does a clerk do?

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.

Desk clerk vs clerk salary

Desk clerks and clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Desk Clerk	Clerk
Average salary	$29,096	$31,163
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $24,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New Hampshire
Best paying company	Deborah's Place	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Health Care

Differences between desk clerk and clerk education

There are a few differences between a desk clerk and a clerk in terms of educational background:

	Desk Clerk	Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Western Carolina University

Desk clerk vs clerk demographics

Here are the differences between desk clerks' and clerks' demographics:

	Desk Clerk	Clerk
Average age	37	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 10.0% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	13%	6%

Differences between desk clerk and clerk duties and responsibilities

Desk clerk example responsibilities.

Manage customer service issues with ease and charm and train other co workers in daily operations.
Assist with setting up meetings using PowerPoint presentations.
Book keeping, check ins, paperwork, PowerPoint, enter information into database.
Communicate with previous shift, organize shift and review reservations and update contingency
Position require guest reservations to be coordinate with housekeeping and maintenance needs.
Register new patients and updates existing patient demographics by collecting patient detail patient information including personal and financial information.

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Clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Manage orthopedic accounts regarding payment posting through IDX medical systems.
Administer financial bookkeeping by way of QuickBooks.
Bank reconciliation in QuickBooks and assist bookkeeper when need.
Maintain a high level of confidentiality as required by HIPAA.
Call DMV's and dealerships when liens are not perfect.

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Desk clerk vs clerk skills

Common desk clerk skills

Reservations, 22%
Front Desk, 14%
Customer Service, 12%
Room Availability, 11%
Direct Calls, 6%
Telephone Calls, 5%

Common clerk skills

Basic Math, 18%
Math, 10%
Data Entry, 10%
Customer Service, 9%
Cleanliness, 8%
POS, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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