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The differences between postal clerks and general clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a postal clerk has an average salary of $38,239, which is higher than the $33,254 average annual salary of a general clerk.
The top three skills for a postal clerk include customer service, postal service and postage rates. The most important skills for a general clerk are customer service, data entry, and office procedures.
| Postal Clerk | General Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $38,239 | $33,254 |
| Hourly rate | $18.38 | $15.99 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 93,101 | 141,570 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 52 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
A postal clerk is responsible for organizing mails for delivery and categorizing other mailroom supplies. Postal clerks sort mail and packages, verify the accurate addresses, and deliver to the correct location. They also operate various postal tools and equipment for labeling documents and weighing parcels. A postal clerk must be highly communicative and organizational, especially on responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about their deliveries and handling fragile packages with utmost care to avoid complications and operational delays.
General clerks are responsible for a variety of miscellaneous and administrative tasks within an organization. These include answering and transferring calls, sorting and delivering incoming emails, and scheduling appointments. They are also responsible for providing information to clients and staff members, preparing and processing bills and office documents, and performing data entry tasks. General clerks are often employed in almost all industries. This position typically requires a high school diploma and basic knowledge of computer applications such as spreadsheet software and word processing.
Postal clerks and general clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Postal Clerk | General Clerk | |
| Average salary | $38,239 | $33,254 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Providence, RI | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | National Grid plc |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a postal clerk and a general clerk in terms of educational background:
| Postal Clerk | General Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between postal clerks' and general clerks' demographics:
| Postal Clerk | General Clerk | |
| Average age | 52 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% | Male, 33.1% Female, 66.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.6% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 9.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |