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The differences between records clerks and records specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a records specialist has an average salary of $33,273, which is higher than the $29,795 average annual salary of a records clerk.
The top three skills for a records clerk include data entry, customer service and digital database. The most important skills for a records specialist are customer service, data entry, and office equipment.
| Records Clerk | Records Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $29,795 | $33,273 |
| Hourly rate | $14.32 | $16.00 |
| Growth rate | - | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 101,023 | 28,647 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 46 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A records clerk is responsible for performing clerical and administrative duties, filing important documents, and keeping the company's files safe. Records clerks sort papers accurately and provide the files only to authorized personnel. They categorize records efficiently and dispose of unnecessary files, following correct procedures of the organization. A records clerk maintains a records database for easy tracking and retrieving of files. A records clerk must have excellent organizational and time-management skills, especially when compiling documents that are urgently needed.
Records Specialists are administrative professionals who help manage the records of the company. These records may be physical documents or digital copies that are stored in a database. Records Specialists may assist in creating filing systems and knowledge management systems to ensure that the records they keep are easily accessible. They also keep an organized list or database of all the documents that are with them. Records Specialists are in charge of pulling up records upon the request of different departments or individuals. If they are working with physical copies, they ensure that these documents are returned to them. If they are working with digital copies, they ensure that the files they share are kept confidential. Records Specialists may also be in charge of analyzing trends and creating records-related reports.
Records clerks and records specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Records Clerk | Records Specialist | |
| Average salary | $29,795 | $33,273 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $38,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maine | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Saint Xavier University | Mt. San Antonio College |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a records clerk and a records specialist in terms of educational background:
| Records Clerk | Records Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between records clerks' and records specialists' demographics:
| Records Clerk | Records Specialist | |
| Average age | 46 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.2% Female, 74.8% | Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 5.4% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 8.5% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |