Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between office clerical assistants and clerical associates 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 associate. Additionally, a clerical associate has an average salary of $30,024, 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 associate are patients, data entry, and customer service.
| Office Clerical Assistant | Clerical Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $28,373 | $30,024 |
| Hourly rate | $13.64 | $14.43 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 83,010 | 78,648 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| 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.
A clerical associate is someone who carries out administrative tasks. Clerical associates photocopy, distribute mail, put together mailings, send faxes, respond to emails, and type letters. The associate's order office supplies, convey messages to staff members, handle payroll, and manage conference rooms. They check records for information accuracy and policy and procedure conformity. It is part of their responsibilities to perform projects for patient care facilitation. Also, they provide support to the mental health clinic in terms of patient care and satisfaction survey distribution and collection.
Office clerical assistants and clerical associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Clerical Assistant | Clerical Associate | |
| Average salary | $28,373 | $30,024 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $35,000 | Between $24,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Bakersfield, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES | GBS |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between an office clerical assistant and a clerical associate in terms of educational background:
| Office Clerical Assistant | Clerical Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between office clerical assistants' and clerical associates' demographics:
| Office Clerical Assistant | Clerical Associate | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.5% Female, 81.5% | Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 7.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |