Career comparison
Order Clerk vs. Procurement Clerk
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Procurement clerks earn more at the median ($50,580 vs. $46,170), while order clerks usually get to work faster (A few weeks on the job of training). Order clerks take and process customer orders and track them to delivery. Procurement clerks process purchase orders and keep track of supplies and orders.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Order Clerk | Procurement Clerk | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $46,170 ($22.20/hr) | $50,580 ($24.32/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $35,530 – $63,530 | $38,040 – $68,620 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | -17.5% (a projected decline) | -8.1% (a projected decline) |
| Openings per year | 6,300 | 3,700 |
| Typical entry education | Some college, no degree | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Training time | A few weeks on the job | A few months on the job |
| Key credential | Customer service certificate | Purchasing fundamentals course |
| Work setting | Order clerks work in offices and call centers for manufacturers, distributors and retailers.. | Clerks work in offices for companies, hospitals, schools and government.. |
What each job does
Order Clerk
- Take customer orders
- Enter orders
- Check stock and pricing
- Confirm details
- Track shipments
Procurement Clerk
- Prepare purchase orders
- Request quotes
- Track deliveries
- Match invoices to orders
- Maintain supplier records
How they’re similar
Both careers involve desk work, steady routines, and indoor work. Both are part of the business & office field, so many skills transfer between them.
Which should you choose?
Choose order clerk if…
- I’m accurate
- I like customers
- I’m organized
Choose procurement clerk if…
- I’m organized
- I like tracking details
- I follow up well
Still torn? Take the Order Clerk fit quiz and the Procurement Clerk fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, order clerk or procurement clerk?
Procurement Clerks earn more at the median: $50,580 versus $46,170 for order clerks, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Order Clerks typically train faster (A few weeks on the job) than procurement clerks (A few months on the job).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects procurement clerks to grow -8.1% from 2025–35, compared with -17.5% for order clerks.