Office employee vs administrative clerk

The differences between office employees and administrative clerks 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 employee and an administrative clerk. Additionally, an office employee has an average salary of $35,825, which is higher than the $32,327 average annual salary of an administrative clerk.

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

Office employee vs administrative clerk overview

	Office Employee	Administrative Clerk
Yearly salary	$35,825	$32,327
Hourly rate	$17.22	$15.54
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	74,182	137,639
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office employee do?

An office employee is someone who performs clerical and any other tasks usually performed by managers. Office employees are employed as clerical workers in offices or organizations. They execute tasks such as typing and word processing, answering phone calls, bookkeeping, and stenography. It is their responsibility to ensure the smooth daily operations of an office. Their diligence, communication skills, customer service, hard work, and attention to detail are necessary for this job.

What does an administrative clerk do?

An administrative clerk provides support to staff and does clerical works. These clerical duties include answering and making phone calls, typing documents, compiling and filing records, and scheduling appointments. The clerks often set up office meetings and invite reliable speakers. Also, they do research and prepare reports or presentations. Candidates for the job must be organized, detail-oriented, and can manage their time well. They must be tech-savvy and have a basic knowledge of bookkeeping. The salary depends on their experience, industry, and location of the job.

Office employee vs administrative clerk salary

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

	Office Employee	Administrative Clerk
Average salary	$35,825	$32,327
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $64,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	East Palo Alto, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	OSF HealthCare	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between office employee and administrative clerk education

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

	Office Employee	Administrative Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Office employee vs administrative clerk demographics

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

	Office Employee	Administrative Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office employee and administrative clerk duties and responsibilities

Office employee example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Complete payroll by compiling hours and verifying submissions weekly, via QuickBooks.
File paperwork, organize PowerPoint presentations, assist with typing correspondence and fax documents to appropriate destination.
Demonstrate ability to maintain composure and work efficiently in a fast-pace environment while following HIPAA guidelines.

Administrative clerk example responsibilities.

Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
Assist teachers with GED packets for students.
Ship orders via customers freight line request (ex.
Schedule and administer the GED exam upon the completion of the inmate's profile.
Enter data in spreadsheets for reports, auction items, payroll and monthly utility accounts.
Process all DMV registration, titles, title flips and plates using CVR and TriVin programs.

Office employee vs administrative clerk skills

Common office employee skills

Customer Service, 72%
Telephone Calls, 5%
Customer Accounts, 4%
Medical Billing, 4%
Computer System, 2%
Front Desk, 1%

Common administrative clerk skills

Customer Service, 17%
Data Entry, 16%
Patients, 9%
Word Processing, 6%
Payroll Data, 5%
Database Systems, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Office Employee
Office Employee vs Administrative Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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