Office clerk vs administrative assistant

The differences between office clerks and 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 clerk and an administrative assistant. Additionally, an administrative assistant has an average salary of $34,945, which is higher than the $30,927 average annual salary of an office clerk.

The top three skills for an office clerk include customer service, data entry and telephone calls. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.

Office clerk vs administrative assistant overview

	Office Clerk	Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$30,927	$34,945
Hourly rate	$14.87	$16.80
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	106,497	65,769
Job satisfaction	-	4.14
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	47	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office clerk do?

Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.

What does an administrative assistant do?

Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.

Office clerk vs administrative assistant salary

Office clerks and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Clerk	Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$30,927	$34,945
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Englewood, CO	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	University of Massachusetts Boston	Westfield State University
Best paying industry	Transportation	-

Differences between office clerk and administrative assistant education

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

	Office Clerk	Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Office clerk vs administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between office clerks' and administrative assistants' demographics:

	Office Clerk	Administrative Assistant
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office clerk and administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Office clerk example responsibilities.

Complete medical records requests as specified under HIPAA regulations.
Scan EOB's and attach to payments in software system.
Perform electronic billing of Medicare, Medicaid, and HMO/PPO submissions.
Follow all HIPAA guidelines and safety rules as required within the healthcare policy.
Perform account analysis on credit balance accounts using insurance explanation of benefit information (EOB).
Provide information about establishment, such as location of departments or offices, employees within the organization, or services provide.

Administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Manage time and attendance using Kronos software for entire department.
Participate in national projects, manage new customer conversions to MCI from other carriers.
Manage FEDEX delivery requirements ensuring compliance with company policy.
Manage and update social media outlets including Facebook and LinkedIn.
Manage company finances using QuickBooks software, including monitoring the operating budget and collecting on unpaid invoices.
Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.

Office clerk vs administrative assistant skills

Common office clerk skills

Customer Service, 21%
Data Entry, 18%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Payroll, 5%
Office Equipment, 4%
Office Machines, 3%

Common administrative assistant skills

Customer Service, 14%
Data Entry, 11%
PowerPoint, 6%
Travel Arrangements, 5%
Database Management, 5%
Word Processing, 5%

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Office Clerk vs Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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