Administrative assistant vs associate administrative assistant

The differences between administrative assistants and associate administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an administrative assistant and an associate administrative assistant. Additionally, an associate administrative assistant has an average salary of $46,939, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.

The top three skills for an administrative assistant include customer service, data entry and powerpoint. The most important skills for an associate administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.

Administrative assistant vs associate administrative assistant overview

	Administrative Assistant	Associate Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$34,945	$46,939
Hourly rate	$16.80	$22.57
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	65,769	57,908
Job satisfaction	4.14	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an administrative assistant do?

Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.

What does an associate administrative assistant do?

An associate administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the business operations, ensuring the timely submission of deliverables. Associate administrative assistants work closely with the financial department, especially on organizing financial reports, issuing invoices, verifying time sheets for payroll purposes, and releasing petty cash. They also manage meeting and conference schedules, coordinate with suppliers and third-party vendors for inventories, and sort documents for reference. An associate administrative assistant must have excellent communication and organization skills, as well as the knowledge of the data processing procedures to update information and track business transactions within the database.

Administrative assistant vs associate administrative assistant salary

Administrative assistants and associate administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Assistant	Associate Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$34,945	$46,939
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $28,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Beverly, MA
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	Westfield State University	JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between administrative assistant and associate administrative assistant education

There are a few differences between an administrative assistant and an associate administrative assistant in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Assistant	Associate Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Administrative assistant vs associate administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between administrative assistants' and associate administrative assistants' demographics:

	Administrative Assistant	Associate Administrative Assistant
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between administrative assistant and associate administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Manage time and attendance using Kronos software for entire department.
Participate in national projects, manage new customer conversions to MCI from other carriers.
Manage FEDEX delivery requirements ensuring compliance with company policy.
Manage and update social media outlets including Facebook and LinkedIn.
Manage company finances using QuickBooks software, including monitoring the operating budget and collecting on unpaid invoices.
Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.

Associate administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Direct correspondence and communications, monitoring emails and phone calls and managing social media and online presence on Facebook and website.
Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
Reconcile credit card purchases and identify and resolve all payroll discrepancies.
Post photos of available properties on company's Facebook page.
Prepare spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and documentation.
Create spreadsheet to calculate payroll information collect from audit to determine findings.

Administrative assistant vs associate administrative assistant skills

Common administrative assistant skills

Customer Service, 14%
Data Entry, 11%
PowerPoint, 6%
Travel Arrangements, 5%
Database Management, 5%
Word Processing, 5%

Common associate administrative assistant skills

Customer Service, 13%
Data Entry, 10%
PowerPoint, 7%
Financial Reports, 5%
Payroll, 5%
Travel Arrangements, 5%

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Administrative Assistant
Administrative Assistant vs Associate Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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