Food clerk vs food handler

The differences between food clerks and food handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food handler has an average salary of $32,581, which is higher than the $29,967 average annual salary of a food clerk.

The top three skills for a food clerk include wine, basic math and customer service. The most important skills for a food handler are basic math, customer service, and math.

Food clerk vs food handler overview

	Food Clerk	Food Handler
Yearly salary	$29,967	$32,581
Hourly rate	$14.41	$15.66
Growth rate	2%	14%
Number of jobs	113,838	171,731
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 47%
Average age	37	23
Years of experience	-	-

Food clerk vs food handler salary

Food clerks and food handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Clerk	Food Handler
Average salary	$29,967	$32,581
Salary range	Between $14,000 And $63,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Syracuse, NY
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Washington
Best paying company	ShopRite	Syracuse University
Best paying industry	Retail	Finance

Differences between food clerk and food handler education

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

	Food Clerk	Food Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food clerk vs food handler demographics

Here are the differences between food clerks' and food handlers' demographics:

	Food Clerk	Food Handler
Average age	37	23
Gender ratio	Male, 52.6% Female, 47.4%	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 7.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	8%

Differences between food clerk and food handler duties and responsibilities

Food clerk example responsibilities.

Exemplify a model of excellent customer service in keeping with Publix's orientation towards ensuring customer satisfaction.
Open the new Goshen Kroger and assist in recruiting and training new staff.

Food handler example responsibilities.

Set up and operate point of sales (POS) cash registers, receive money and return proper change.
Record patient information to gain knowledge of special allergies and special diets to promote better safety and health management.
Enter orders into POS system, report daily sales to managers, conduct monthly inventory, and perform heavy cash flow.
Monitor and maintain cleanliness, sanitation, and organization of assign station and service areas.
Maintain clean work areas including display cases, walk-in coolers, fryers and other cooking equipment.
Prepare and serve food samples using small appliances such as microwaves, fryers, skillets, coffee makers and knives.

Food clerk vs food handler skills

Common food clerk skills

Wine, 24%
Basic Math, 22%
Customer Service, 12%
Taking Care, 11%
Stock Shelves, 4%
Store Shelves, 3%

Common food handler skills

Basic Math, 23%
Customer Service, 21%
Math, 14%
Food Service, 6%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Food Orders, 4%

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Food Clerk vs Food Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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