Office clerk vs office secretary

The differences between office clerks and office secretaries 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 office secretary. Additionally, an office secretary has an average salary of $33,118, 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 office secretary are data entry, phone calls, and telephone calls.

Office clerk vs office secretary overview

	Office Clerk	Office Secretary
Yearly salary	$30,927	$33,118
Hourly rate	$14.87	$15.92
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	106,497	87,771
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
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 office secretary do?

An office secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations and prevent delays with project deliverables. Office secretaries also welcome guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate department or personnel for their appointments. They schedule meetings, sort documents, handle incoming and outgoing mail, as well as manage inventories for the adequacy of office supplies. An office secretary must have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to conduct tasks within a strict deadline and minimal supervision.

Office clerk vs office secretary salary

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

	Office Clerk	Office Secretary
Average salary	$30,927	$33,118
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $38,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Englewood, CO	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Hawaii
Best paying company	University of Massachusetts Boston	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	Transportation	Telecommunication

Differences between office clerk and office secretary education

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

	Office Clerk	Office Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

Office clerk vs office secretary demographics

Here are the differences between office clerks' and office secretaries' demographics:

	Office Clerk	Office Secretary
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
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, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office clerk and office secretary 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.

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Office secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Research and keep updated on Medicare and Medicaid benefits, qualification requirements, and the legal and financial effects of options.
Determine client eligibility for Medicaid transportation.
Process and submit payroll information and invoices.
Maintain departmental inventory, purchasing/travel paperwork, and process payroll.
Answer customer phone calls-Record daily business transactions-Manage QuickBooks and bank accounts-Enter parts invoices and take inventory

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Office clerk vs office secretary skills

Common office clerk skills

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

Common office secretary skills

Data Entry, 12%
Phone Calls, 11%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Scheduling Appointments, 7%
Office Procedures, 7%
Payroll, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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