Research clerk vs data entry clerk

The differences between research clerks and data entry clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a research clerk, becoming a data entry clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a research clerk has an average salary of $32,652, which is higher than the $31,582 average annual salary of a data entry clerk.

The top three skills for a research clerk include telephone inquiries, customer accounts and financial institutions. The most important skills for a data entry clerk are data entry, customer service, and computer database.

Research clerk vs data entry clerk overview

	Research Clerk	Data Entry Clerk
Yearly salary	$32,652	$31,582
Hourly rate	$15.70	$15.18
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	113,814	132,345
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	2

What does a research clerk do?

A research clerk executes and performs clerical activities in the research department. They also research and verify data useful for business clients as well as conducting research on client products or services to improvise business opportunities. Their duties and responsibilities also include assigning topics to other team members, verifying data before submission, and ensuring research does not violate best practices.

What does a data entry clerk do?

Data entry clerks are employees who work on the proper documentation of the data sets within the organization. They are responsible for copying in or typing in items from a source to the company database. In doing so, they provide and validate essential information to the organization. Data entry clerks are expected to assess the data and ensure that they are correct before logging them into the company database. They are required to have good attention to detail, to be able to type swiftly and accurately, and to be able to work with minimal supervision.

Research clerk vs data entry clerk salary

Research clerks and data entry clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Clerk	Data Entry Clerk
Average salary	$32,652	$31,582
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Washington
Best paying company	Novant Health	General Dynamics Mission Systems
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between research clerk and data entry clerk education

There are a few differences between a research clerk and a data entry clerk in terms of educational background:

	Research Clerk	Data Entry Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Research clerk vs data entry clerk demographics

Here are the differences between research clerks' and data entry clerks' demographics:

	Research Clerk	Data Entry Clerk
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%	Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	5%

Differences between research clerk and data entry clerk duties and responsibilities

Research clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Re-created personal and commercial bank statements as requested by customers or in compliance with court-issu subpoenas.
Process work to the proof operators to encode checks.
Assist tellers in posting all deposit slips and withdrawals in NCR machine
Balance deposits make by customers, micro encode checks & deposit slips.
Create accounting worksheets and post entries for 3rd party lockbox, credit card settlements and product billing.

Show more

Data entry clerk example responsibilities.

Prepare, maintain and manage PowerPoint presentations.
Enter contractual data into AS400 computer terminal, implementing alphanumeric and 10-key data entry.
Work in multiple windows to process information.
Create a backup copy for one specific table on the SQL database.
Process radiology reports into MDIV program while meeting department month- end billing cycle.
Establish the ability to type approximately 58 wpm and type 10 key by touch.

Show more

Research clerk vs data entry clerk skills

Common research clerk skills

Telephone Inquiries, 16%
Customer Accounts, 9%
Financial Institutions, 9%
Subpoenas, 8%
Exception Reports, 8%
Legal Research, 7%

Common data entry clerk skills

Data Entry, 23%
Customer Service, 19%
Computer Database, 12%
Computer System, 6%
Word Processing, 5%
WPM, 3%

Research Clerk vs. similar jobs

Research Clerk related careers

Research Clerk related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z