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The differences between desk clerks and office support clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an office support clerk has an average salary of $32,040, 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 an office support clerk are customer service, data entry, and word processing.
| Desk Clerk | Office Support Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $29,096 | $32,040 |
| Hourly rate | $13.99 | $15.40 |
| Growth rate | - | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 113,183 | 185,683 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 37 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
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.
Office support clerks are professionals who provide clerical and administrative duties that support the daily activities of an organization's office setting. These clerks are required to answer incoming calls from clients while maintaining all office and cleaning supplies for the organization. They must communicate with clients and direct them to the appropriate department to ensure quality customer service. Office support clerks must also utilize the automated word processing equipment so that they can produce reports, statistical information, and other departmental information.
Desk clerks and office support clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Desk Clerk | Office Support Clerk | |
| Average salary | $29,096 | $32,040 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $36,000 | Between $25,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Tualatin, OR |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Deborah's Place | Sierra Pacific Industries |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between a desk clerk and an office support clerk in terms of educational background:
| Desk Clerk | Office Support Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between desk clerks' and office support clerks' demographics:
| Desk Clerk | Office Support Clerk | |
| Average age | 37 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0% | Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3% |
| 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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 7.7% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 6% |