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The differences between senior clerks and secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior clerk and a secretary. Additionally, a secretary has an average salary of $36,442, which is higher than the $30,664 average annual salary of a senior clerk.
The top three skills for a senior clerk include customer service, data entry and patients. The most important skills for a secretary are customer service, telephone calls, and payroll.
| Senior Clerk | Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $30,664 | $36,442 |
| Hourly rate | $14.74 | $17.52 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 86,133 | 69,315 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Senior clerks direct the fulfillment of administrative and clerical tasks for a company, which includes managing and organizing paperwork, records, mail, and other office resources. They may also perform auditing invoices, managing accounts for clients and merchants, compiling reports, and making certain the company complied with the policies. Additionally, they routinely manage sensitive data, like bank account data. Qualifications for this career include basic computer knowledge, mathematical skills, experience with customer service as well as able to design a detailed record system in an office environment.
Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department. They manage schedules and appointments, often handling the calendar in the office. They are also responsible for keeping files organized, whether physical or digital copies. During office meetings, secretaries are in charge of documenting the minutes of the meeting and highlighting the action steps that need to be taken. They may also be assigned to check on concerned departments who need to present deliverables in the next office meeting.
Senior clerks and secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Clerk | Secretary | |
| Average salary | $30,664 | $36,442 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $40,000 | Between $26,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Tracy, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a senior clerk and a secretary in terms of educational background:
| Senior Clerk | Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior clerks' and secretaries' demographics:
| Senior Clerk | Secretary | |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.1% Female, 77.9% | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 8.0% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |