Career comparison
Correspondence Clerk vs. File Clerk
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Correspondence clerks earn more at the median ($46,800 vs. $43,600), while correspondence clerks usually get to work faster (A few weeks on the job of training). Correspondence clerks answer customer letters and emails about accounts, claims and complaints. File clerks organize, store and retrieve records so people can find them fast.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Correspondence Clerk | File Clerk | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $46,800 ($22.50/hr) | $43,600 ($20.96/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $33,300 – $64,510 | $31,200 – $63,490 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | -5.6% (a projected decline) | -15.8% (a projected decline) |
| Openings per year | 500 | 5,600 |
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Training time | A few weeks on the job | A few weeks on the job |
| Key credential | Business writing course | Records management course |
| Work setting | Clerks work in offices and remotely.. | File clerks work in offices and records rooms.. |
What each job does
Correspondence Clerk
- Read incoming letters and emails
- Research accounts
- Write replies
- Send forms and records
- Route complex cases
File Clerk
- File documents
- Retrieve records
- Scan and index files
- Maintain filing systems
- Track checked-out files
How they’re similar
Both careers involve steady routines and working independently. Both are part of the business & office field, so many skills transfer between them.
Which should you choose?
Choose correspondence clerk if…
- I write clearly
- I’m accurate
- I like quiet work
Choose file clerk if…
- I’m very organized
- I like order
- I can work alone
Still torn? Take the Correspondence Clerk fit quiz and the File Clerk fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, correspondence clerk or file clerk?
Correspondence Clerks earn more at the median: $46,800 versus $43,600 for file clerks, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Correspondence Clerks typically train faster (A few weeks on the job) than file clerks (A few weeks on the job).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects correspondence clerks to grow -5.6% from 2025–35, compared with -15.8% for file clerks.