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The differences between office clerical assistants and clerical/administrative assistants 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 clerical assistant and a clerical/administrative assistant. Additionally, a clerical/administrative assistant has an average salary of $30,983, which is higher than the $28,373 average annual salary of an office clerical assistant.
The top three skills for an office clerical assistant include data entry, customer service and patients. The most important skills for a clerical/administrative assistant are data entry, word processing, and payroll.
| Office Clerical Assistant | Clerical/Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $28,373 | $30,983 |
| Hourly rate | $13.64 | $14.90 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 83,010 | 56,261 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Office clerical assistants are professionals who are responsible for performing a variety of clerical tasks within an organization's office. These assistants must provide office assistance functions such as responding to emails, filing papers, and preparing schedules while handling customers at the front desk. They are required to use automated word processing equipment to produce correspondence, forms, or reports. Clerical assistants must also answer high profile telephone calls and forward the messages to the appropriate person.
An administrative assistant, also known as a secretary or office clerk, is someone who carries out daily clerical and administrative tasks. Admin assistants do a variety of tasks such as answering phone calls, organizing files, maintaining contacts, schedule meetings and appointments, and many more. Their task can be extensive, depending on the needs of operations and higher management. They serve as a gatekeeper of the company, so strong verbal and written communication skills are a must. They should also exhibit great organizational skills and time management since they act as the resource of the company.
Office clerical assistants and clerical/administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Clerical Assistant | Clerical/Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $28,373 | $30,983 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $35,000 | Between $24,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES | University of California |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between an office clerical assistant and a clerical/administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Office Clerical Assistant | Clerical/Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between office clerical assistants' and clerical/administrative assistants' demographics:
| Office Clerical Assistant | Clerical/Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.5% Female, 81.5% | Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |