Career comparison
Order Clerk vs. Shipping and Receiving Clerk
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Order clerks earn more at the median ($46,170 vs. $45,260), while shipping and receiving clerks usually get to work faster (1–4 weeks of training). Order clerks take and process customer orders and track them to delivery. Shipping and receiving clerks track what comes in and goes out of warehouses, stores and plants.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Order Clerk | Shipping and Receiving Clerk | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $46,170 ($22.20/hr) | $45,260 ($21.76/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $35,530 – $63,530 | $34,650 – $62,190 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | -17.5% (a projected decline) | -7.6% (a projected decline) |
| Openings per year | 6,300 | 61,300 |
| Typical entry education | Some college, no degree | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Training time | A few weeks on the job | 1–4 weeks |
| Key credential | Customer service certificate | Forklift operator training |
| Work setting | Order clerks work in offices and call centers for manufacturers, distributors and retailers.. | Clerks work in warehouses, distribution centers, plants and stores, at docks and desks. |
What each job does
Order Clerk
- Take customer orders
- Enter orders
- Check stock and pricing
- Confirm details
- Track shipments
Shipping and Receiving Clerk
- Check incoming shipments against paperwork
- Record receipts in inventory systems
- Report damages, shortages and overages
- Prepare and label outgoing shipments
- Create bills of lading and shipping documents
How they’re similar
Both careers involve steady routines and indoor work. They sit in different fields, business & office and transportation & logistics, but share transferable skills such as accuracy and accuracy.
Which should you choose?
Choose order clerk if…
- I’m accurate
- I like customers
- I’m organized
Choose shipping and receiving clerk if…
- I’m accurate with numbers and details
- I like organizing things
- I don’t mind physical work
Still torn? Take the Order Clerk fit quiz and the Shipping and Receiving Clerk fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, order clerk or shipping and receiving clerk?
Order Clerks earn more at the median: $46,170 versus $45,260 for shipping and receiving clerks, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Shipping and Receiving Clerks typically train faster (1–4 weeks) than order clerks (A few weeks on the job).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects shipping and receiving clerks to grow -7.6% from 2025–35, compared with -17.5% for order clerks.