Purchasing department clerk vs administrative clerk

The differences between purchasing department clerks 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 a purchasing department clerk and an administrative clerk. Additionally, a purchasing department clerk has an average salary of $37,684, which is higher than the $32,327 average annual salary of an administrative clerk.

The top three skills for a purchasing department clerk include purchase orders, data entry and expedite. The most important skills for an administrative clerk are customer service, data entry, and patients.

Purchasing department clerk vs administrative clerk overview

	Purchasing Department Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Yearly salary	$37,684	$32,327
Hourly rate	$18.12	$15.54
Growth rate	-3%	-5%
Number of jobs	102,459	137,639
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	46	47
Years of experience	2	2

Purchasing department clerk vs administrative clerk salary

Purchasing department clerks and administrative clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Department Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Average salary	$37,684	$32,327
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $47,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between purchasing department clerk and administrative clerk education

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

	Purchasing Department Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Purchasing department clerk vs administrative clerk demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing department clerks' and administrative clerks' demographics:

	Purchasing Department Clerk	Administrative Clerk
Average age	46	47
Gender ratio	Male, 28.5% Female, 71.5%	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 7.1% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	7%	6%

Differences between purchasing department clerk and administrative clerk duties and responsibilities

Purchasing department clerk example responsibilities.

Manage activities of purchasing, production planning and scheduling, inventory management, warehousing and logistics.
Check stock levels through use of MRP.
Process MRO orders and consumable material requisitions.
Review requisitions for MRO inventory and facilities maintenance agreements.
Complete accurate demographic and insurance information, including verification of insurance according to private, Medicaid, and/or Medicare guidelines.
Complete accurate demographic and insurance information, including verification of insurance according to private, Medicaid, and/or Medicare 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.

Purchasing department clerk vs administrative clerk skills

Common purchasing department clerk skills

Purchase Orders, 52%
Data Entry, 38%
Expedite, 3%
Computer System, 3%
Surgery, 2%
Fax Machines, 2%

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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Purchasing Department Clerk
Purchasing Department Clerk vs Administrative Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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