Office assistant/file clerk vs office administrator

The differences between office assistant/file clerks and office administrators 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 assistant/file clerk and an office administrator. Additionally, an office administrator has an average salary of $37,423, which is higher than the $30,645 average annual salary of an office assistant/file clerk.

The top three skills for an office assistant/file clerk include data entry, office equipment and scheduling appointments. The most important skills for an office administrator are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Office assistant/file clerk vs office administrator overview

	Office Assistant/File Clerk	Office Administrator
Yearly salary	$30,645	$37,423
Hourly rate	$14.73	$17.99
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	120,542	118,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

Office assistant/file clerk vs office administrator salary

Office assistant/file clerks and office administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Assistant/File Clerk	Office Administrator
Average salary	$30,645	$37,423
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $37,000	Between $28,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between office assistant/file clerk and office administrator education

There are a few differences between an office assistant/file clerk and an office administrator in terms of educational background:

	Office Assistant/File Clerk	Office Administrator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Office assistant/file clerk vs office administrator demographics

Here are the differences between office assistant/file clerks' and office administrators' demographics:

	Office Assistant/File Clerk	Office Administrator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 25.2% Female, 74.8%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office assistant/file clerk and office administrator duties and responsibilities

Office assistant/file clerk example responsibilities.

Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
Create project materials and PowerPoint presentations for meetings.
Create and edit charts, insert pictures and graphics into program documents and produce PowerPoint presentations.
Restock office supplies, deliver offices' mail to the post office, and run any other necessary errands.
Maintain confidentiality and standards according to HIPAA regulations.
Handle medical malpractice and litigation files while maintaining confidentiality and HIPPA guidelines.

Office administrator example responsibilities.

Monitor calls, manage calendars, travel, meeting arrangements, video conference and teleconferencing.
Formulate various procedures to assure efficient operation of the SharePoint system is managed properly for CFWB and BOS.
Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Pull patients charts for doctors using EMR system as well as pulled chart from medical records room.
Create and update all departmental ISO documents.
Collect all outgoing FedEx overnight packages and ship with accurate tracking and conformation information.

Office assistant/file clerk vs office administrator skills

Common office assistant/file clerk skills

Data Entry, 33%
Office Equipment, 12%
Scheduling Appointments, 6%
Front Desk, 5%
Patient Charts, 5%
Office Machines, 4%

Common office administrator skills

Customer Service, 18%
Patients, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Office Equipment, 5%
Front Desk, 4%
PowerPoint, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Office Assistant/File Clerk
Office Assistant/File Clerk vs Office Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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