Office employee vs clerk

The differences between office employees and 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 a clerk. Additionally, an office employee has an average salary of $35,825, which is higher than the $31,163 average annual salary of a clerk.

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

Office employee vs clerk overview

	Office Employee	Clerk
Yearly salary	$35,825	$31,163
Hourly rate	$17.22	$14.98
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	74,182	80,311
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
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 a clerk do?

Clerks are responsible for many of the general administrative tasks in the office. They are in charge of manning office telephone lines, managing incoming and outgoing mails, filing paperwork and other needed records, scheduling and documenting meetings, typing out documents when needed, disseminating memos and other official announcements, and keeping an inventory of office equipment and supplies. Clerks should have good office skills, communication skills, business writing skills, and time management skills. They should also be able to treat any document or paperwork they handle with confidentiality.

Office employee vs clerk salary

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

	Office Employee	Clerk
Average salary	$35,825	$31,163
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $64,000	Between $24,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	East Palo Alto, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New Hampshire
Best paying company	OSF HealthCare	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between office employee and clerk education

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

	Office Employee	Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Office employee vs clerk demographics

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

	Office Employee	Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.7% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office employee and 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.

Clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Manage orthopedic accounts regarding payment posting through IDX medical systems.
Administer financial bookkeeping by way of QuickBooks.
Bank reconciliation in QuickBooks and assist bookkeeper when need.
Maintain a high level of confidentiality as required by HIPAA.
Call DMV's and dealerships when liens are not perfect.

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Office employee vs 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 clerk skills

Basic Math, 18%
Math, 10%
Data Entry, 10%
Customer Service, 9%
Cleanliness, 8%
POS, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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