Office employee vs office clerk

The differences between office employees and office 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 office clerk. Additionally, an office employee has an average salary of $35,825, which is higher than the $30,927 average annual salary of an office clerk.

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

Office employee vs office clerk overview

	Office Employee	Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$35,825	$30,927
Hourly rate	$17.22	$14.87
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	74,182	106,497
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
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 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.

Office employee vs office clerk salary

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

	Office Employee	Office Clerk
Average salary	$35,825	$30,927
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $64,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	East Palo Alto, CA	Englewood, CO
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	OSF HealthCare	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Professional	Transportation

Differences between office employee and office clerk education

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

	Office Employee	Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Office employee vs office clerk demographics

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

	Office Employee	Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
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, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office employee and office 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.

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 employee vs office 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 office clerk skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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