Career comparison
File Clerk vs. Office Clerk
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Office clerks earn more at the median ($45,010 vs. $43,600), while file clerks usually get to work faster (A few weeks on the job of training). File clerks organize, store and retrieve records so people can find them fast. Office clerks handle the everyday tasks that keep an office running.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| File Clerk | Office Clerk | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $43,600 ($20.96/hr) | $45,010 ($21.64/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $31,200 – $63,490 | $30,310 – $64,680 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | -15.8% (a projected decline) | -6.0% (a projected decline) |
| Openings per year | 5,600 | 249,000 |
| 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 | Records management course | Microsoft Office Specialist |
| Work setting | File clerks work in offices and records rooms.. | Office clerks work in nearly every kind of office.. |
What each job does
File Clerk
- File documents
- Retrieve records
- Scan and index files
- Maintain filing systems
- Track checked-out files
Office Clerk
- Answer phones
- Greet visitors
- Type documents
- File records
- Enter data
How they’re similar
Both careers involve indoor work and steady routines. Both are part of the business & office field, so many skills transfer between them.
Which should you choose?
Choose file clerk if…
- I’m very organized
- I like order
- I can work alone
Choose office clerk if…
- I like variety
- I’m organized
- I’m friendly
Still torn? Take the File Clerk fit quiz and the Office Clerk fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, file clerk or office clerk?
Office Clerks earn more at the median: $45,010 versus $43,600 for file clerks, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
File Clerks typically train faster (A few weeks on the job) than office clerks (A few weeks on the job).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects office clerks to grow -6.0% from 2025–35, compared with -15.8% for file clerks.