Office aide vs general office clerk

The differences between office aides and general office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an office aide and a general office clerk. Additionally, a general office clerk has an average salary of $30,034, which is higher than the $29,255 average annual salary of an office aide.

The top three skills for an office aide include data entry, phone calls and telephone calls. The most important skills for a general office clerk are data entry, customer service, and office equipment.

Office aide vs general office clerk overview

	Office Aide	General Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$29,255	$30,034
Hourly rate	$14.06	$14.44
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	76,712	160,597
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office aide do?

Also called an office assistant, an office aide is someone whose responsibility focuses on secretarial and administrative tasks in health practices, schools, businesses, or any other institution. Office aides help with logistical and clerical needs like copying files, curating schedules, and answering phones. They manage and organize files, receive and direct visitors, create presentations, and answer emails. The skills they need include computer and email use, filing documents, answering multiline phone systems, and typing.

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.

Office aide vs general office clerk salary

Office aides and general office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Aide	General Office Clerk
Average salary	$29,255	$30,034
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $37,000	Between $23,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Community Solutions	USF Reddaway
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between office aide and general office clerk education

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

	Office Aide	General Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Western Carolina University

Office aide vs general office clerk demographics

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

	Office Aide	General Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 24.2% Female, 75.8%	Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 8.3% White, 52.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office aide and general office clerk duties and responsibilities

Office aide example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Handle bulk mailings for annual donations, alumni & target donors.
Elaborate letters, PowerPoint presentations.
Create PowerPoint presentations used for school development.
Administer executive responsibilities to assist the office manager with administrative task and operating QuickBooks.
Ensure sensitive information pertaining to veterans are kept secure.

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.

Office aide vs general office clerk skills

Common office aide skills

Data Entry, 16%
Phone Calls, 15%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Customer Service, 6%
Front Desk, 5%
Database Systems, 5%

Common general office clerk skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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