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Typist vs office clerk

The differences between typists and office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a typist, becoming an office clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a typist has an average salary of $32,143, which is higher than the $30,927 average annual salary of an office clerk.

The top three skills for a typist include data entry, WPM and real estate. The most important skills for an office clerk are customer service, data entry, and telephone calls.

Typist vs office clerk overview

TypistOffice Clerk
Yearly salary$32,143$30,927
Hourly rate$15.45$14.87
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs34,028106,497
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 30%Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age5047
Years of experience122

What does a typist do?

A typist is responsible for typing all of a company's documents and materials, including reports, policies, and correspondence. A typist may also be known as a word processor or copy clerk. They are a professional who may work for companies or individuals. Their job responsibilities may include typing up letters, filling out forms, creating transcriptions of audio recordings, or organizing documents. They may also have to answer phones.

What does an office clerk do?

Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.

Typist vs office clerk salary

Typists and office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

TypistOffice Clerk
Average salary$32,143$30,927
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $48,000Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAEnglewood, CO
Highest paying stateCaliforniaAlaska
Best paying companyErie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCESUniversity of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industryGovernmentTransportation

Differences between typist and office clerk education

There are a few differences between a typist and an office clerk in terms of educational background:

TypistOffice Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 30%Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college-Western Carolina University

Typist vs office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between typists' and office clerks' demographics:

TypistOffice Clerk
Average age5047
Gender ratioMale, 11.2% Female, 88.8%Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 4.7% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage7%6%

Differences between typist and office clerk duties and responsibilities

Typist example responsibilities.

  • Process and obtain DoD secret level clearance.
  • Complete HTML coding for online versions of books and newsletters.
  • Assist in providing telephone help desk support to troubleshoot application questions.
  • Update title work from mark up commitment prepare by the escrow closers.
  • Type, copy, assemble and distribute policies to escrow officers and clients.
  • Type policies, endorsements, amendments and other miscellaneous materials for insure and their agents.
  • Show more

Office clerk example responsibilities.

  • Complete medical records requests as specified under HIPAA regulations.
  • Scan EOB's and attach to payments in software system.
  • Perform electronic billing of Medicare, Medicaid, and HMO/PPO submissions.
  • Follow all HIPAA guidelines and safety rules as required within the healthcare policy.
  • Perform account analysis on credit balance accounts using insurance explanation of benefit information (EOB).
  • Provide information about establishment, such as location of departments or offices, employees within the organization, or services provide.
  • Show more

Typist vs office clerk skills

Common typist skills
  • Data Entry, 19%
  • WPM, 13%
  • Real Estate, 8%
  • Telephone Calls, 8%
  • Computer Database, 6%
  • Escrow, 5%
Common office clerk skills
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Data Entry, 18%
  • Telephone Calls, 7%
  • Payroll, 5%
  • Office Equipment, 4%
  • Office Machines, 3%

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