Desk clerk vs file clerk

The differences between desk clerks and file clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a file clerk has an average salary of $31,562, 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 file clerk are data entry, office equipment, and numerical order.

Desk clerk vs file clerk overview

	Desk Clerk	File Clerk
Yearly salary	$29,096	$31,562
Hourly rate	$13.99	$15.17
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	113,183	66,383
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	37	46
Years of experience	-	-

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 file clerk do?

File clerks are employees who do a variety of clerical and administrative tasks, usually related to documents in the office. They are responsible for the safekeeping of various files, records, or documents of the company. They keep track of records, ensure that documents are properly stored, and maintain a system of organizing files. They are also in charge of managing digital files and also assist in the digitization of hard copies of documents. They ensure that documentary records are updated and filed or uploaded accurately. File clerks should be organized, should have a keen eye for detail, and should be trustworthy.

Desk clerk vs file clerk salary

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

	Desk Clerk	File Clerk
Average salary	$29,096	$31,562
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Deborah's Place	Williams Parker
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between desk clerk and file clerk education

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

	Desk Clerk	File Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Western Carolina University

Desk clerk vs file clerk demographics

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

	Desk Clerk	File Clerk
Average age	37	46
Gender ratio	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%	Male, 22.9% Female, 77.1%
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, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 5.4% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	13%	9%

Differences between desk clerk and file 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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File clerk example responsibilities.

Maintain and manage database with clinical details and digital radiology imaging.
Maintain current product device master and device history records per FDA and ISO regulations.
General office duties and experience with windows, excel, access PowerPoint, word, publisher.
Enter pleadings, request for productions and interrogatories into logs and clients files by dates of court filings.
Maintain EMR with current and accurate data.
Utilize scanning software such as AnyDoc and OCR.

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Desk clerk vs file clerk skills

Common desk clerk skills

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

Common file clerk skills

Data Entry, 25%
Office Equipment, 10%
Numerical Order, 8%
HR, 6%
Office Machines, 5%
Patient Charts, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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