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The differences between mail clerks and distribution clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a distribution clerk has an average salary of $32,142, which is higher than the $30,383 average annual salary of a mail clerk.
The top three skills for a mail clerk include customer service, delivery sequence and place packages. The most important skills for a distribution clerk are data entry, shipping receiving, and patients.
| Mail Clerk | Distribution Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $30,383 | $32,142 |
| Hourly rate | $14.61 | $15.45 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 80,560 | 86,473 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | High School Diploma, 35% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A mail clerk is responsible for sorting and processing mails for the business. Mail clerks' duties include maintenance of mailing supplies by regularly monitoring inventory, forwarding incoming mails and safe packages to appropriate departments, labeling outgoing mails with secured packaging, keeping records of acknowledged mails, and returning misdirected mails to the correct recipient. A mail clerk must be detail-oriented, as well as having strong organizational and multi-tasking skills to arrange deliveries, operate mailing machines, and categorize efficiently.
A distribution clerk is in charge of processing and managing products for shipments and deliveries, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. They work at warehouse facilities responsible for monitoring shipments, participating in loading and unloading packages, and inspecting them to ensure their quality and quantity. They also process and pack items according to protocols, review documentation, keep records of transactions, and maintain work areas' cleanliness. Moreover, a distribution clerk may also perform clerical tasks such as managing calls and correspondence, arranging schedules, and preparing documents.
Mail clerks and distribution clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mail Clerk | Distribution Clerk | |
| Average salary | $30,383 | $32,142 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $41,000 | Between $25,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Eureka, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | SF-Marin Food Bank |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a mail clerk and a distribution clerk in terms of educational background:
| Mail Clerk | Distribution Clerk | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | High School Diploma, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between mail clerks' and distribution clerks' demographics:
| Mail Clerk | Distribution Clerk | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.7% Female, 49.3% | Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 6.1% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 7.1% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |