Parts specialist vs auto parts clerk

The differences between parts specialists and auto parts clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a parts specialist and an auto parts clerk. Additionally, an auto parts clerk has an average salary of $38,446, which is higher than the $33,611 average annual salary of a parts specialist.

The top three skills for a parts specialist include taking care, customer service and inventory control. The most important skills for an auto parts clerk are customer service, parts orders, and customer orders.

Parts specialist vs auto parts clerk overview

	Parts Specialist	Auto Parts Clerk
Yearly salary	$33,611	$38,446
Hourly rate	$16.16	$18.48
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	46,301	93,769
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

Parts specialist vs auto parts clerk salary

Parts specialists and auto parts clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Parts Specialist	Auto Parts Clerk
Average salary	$33,611	$38,446
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $29,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Steel Dynamics	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between parts specialist and auto parts clerk education

There are a few differences between a parts specialist and an auto parts clerk in terms of educational background:

	Parts Specialist	Auto Parts Clerk
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Parts specialist vs auto parts clerk demographics

Here are the differences between parts specialists' and auto parts clerks' demographics:

	Parts Specialist	Auto Parts Clerk
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 76.9% Female, 23.1%	Male, 72.4% Female, 27.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 1.7% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 1.6% White, 69.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between parts specialist and auto parts clerk duties and responsibilities

Parts specialist example responsibilities.

Manage DIY services including battery installation, testing, wiper installs, etc.
Maintain inventory control and increase profit of automotive dealership parts department.
Interface with cataloging engineers regarding correcting the parts catalog and technical specifications of parts.
Train all new counterman staff.
Skil in navigating AS400 database.
Complete H-DU chrome staff consultant training.

Auto parts clerk example responsibilities.

Manage DIY services including battery installation, testing, wiper installs, etc.
Develop relationships with personnel from other Chrysler dealerships to participate in a mutually beneficial parts purchase and delivery co op.
Deliver items to customers, whether they are a dealership, bodyshop or regular customer.

Parts specialist vs auto parts clerk skills

Common parts specialist skills

Taking Care, 64%
Customer Service, 4%
Inventory Control, 3%
Data Entry, 2%
Parts Inventory, 2%
Inventory Management, 2%

Common auto parts clerk skills

Customer Service, 31%
Parts Orders, 22%
Customer Orders, 20%
Delivery Vehicle, 10%
DMV, 7%
Customer Complaints, 3%

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Parts Specialist
Parts Specialist vs Auto Parts Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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