Payroll Clerks vs Secretaries & Admin Assistants
Median pay is about $11k higher for Payroll Clerks. Both usually start with the same education: high school.
marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.
| Measure | Payroll Clerks | Secretaries & Admin Assistants |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | ||
| Median pay | $58,260, higher | $47,540 |
| Entry pay 25th percentile | $47,990, higher | $38,830 |
| Experienced pay 75th percentile | $69,600, higher | $58,000 |
| Outlook, 2025 to 2035 | ||
| Projected growth | -16% Declining | -6.0% Declining, higher |
| Openings a year | 11,400 | 163,900 |
| Getting in | ||
| Typical education | High school | High school |
| Difficulty modeled | 1.2 / 5 | 1.2 / 5 |
| AI | ||
| Displacement risk modeled | High | Very high |
| AI exposure modeled, percentile | 60th pct | 89th pct |
Where the skills differ
Only Payroll Clerks
- Mathematics
Only Secretaries & Admin Assistants
- Monitoring
Both lean on reading comprehension, active listening, writing, speaking, critical thinking.
More comparisons
Compare Payroll Clerks with
Compare Secretaries & Admin Assistants with
Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.