General office clerk vs administrative clerk

The differences between general office clerks and administrative clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a general office clerk and an administrative clerk. Additionally, an administrative clerk has an average salary of $32,327, which is higher than the $30,034 average annual salary of a general office clerk.

The top three skills for a general office clerk include data entry, customer service and office equipment. The most important skills for an administrative clerk are customer service, data entry, and patients.

General office clerk vs administrative clerk overview

	General Office Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Yearly salary	$30,034	$32,327
Hourly rate	$14.44	$15.54
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	160,597	137,639
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a general office clerk do?

A general office clerk is responsible for performing various clerical duties to support business functions and ensure smooth daily operations. General office clerks respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, welcoming guests, and assisting in disseminating information across the organization. They maintain the adequacy of inventories, organize business and financial transaction reports, and perform basic bookkeeping tasks and banking transactions. A general office clerk must be highly organizational and analytical, especially in encoding account statements on the database and processing business reports required by the management.

What does an administrative clerk do?

An administrative clerk provides support to staff and does clerical works. These clerical duties include answering and making phone calls, typing documents, compiling and filing records, and scheduling appointments. The clerks often set up office meetings and invite reliable speakers. Also, they do research and prepare reports or presentations. Candidates for the job must be organized, detail-oriented, and can manage their time well. They must be tech-savvy and have a basic knowledge of bookkeeping. The salary depends on their experience, industry, and location of the job.

General office clerk vs administrative clerk salary

General office clerks and administrative clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Office Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Average salary	$30,034	$32,327
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $38,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	USF Reddaway	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Health Care	Finance

Differences between general office clerk and administrative clerk education

There are a few differences between a general office clerk and an administrative clerk in terms of educational background:

	General Office Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

General office clerk vs administrative clerk demographics

Here are the differences between general office clerks' and administrative clerks' demographics:

	General Office Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between general office clerk and administrative clerk duties and responsibilities

General office clerk example responsibilities.

Set up PowerPoint presentations using LCD projectors and computers.
Update and maintain PowerPoint presentations used for new hire orientation of management and employees.
Insert data accurately and expeditiously into the company payroll system for future retrieval.
Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
Use QuickBooks for purchase order, inventory activities and sales order.
Bag groceries, assist customers in locating merchandise, cleaning of store floors, restrooms and shelves.

Administrative clerk example responsibilities.

Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
Assist teachers with GED packets for students.
Ship orders via customers freight line request (ex.
Schedule and administer the GED exam upon the completion of the inmate's profile.
Enter data in spreadsheets for reports, auction items, payroll and monthly utility accounts.
Process all DMV registration, titles, title flips and plates using CVR and TriVin programs.

General office clerk vs administrative clerk skills

Common general office clerk skills

Data Entry, 17%
Customer Service, 15%
Office Equipment, 12%
Front Desk, 11%
Word Processing, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%

Common administrative clerk skills

Customer Service, 17%
Data Entry, 16%
Patients, 9%
Word Processing, 6%
Payroll Data, 5%
Database Systems, 4%

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General Office Clerk
General Office Clerk vs Administrative Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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