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The differences between administrative assistants and business 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 a business administrative assistant. Additionally, a business administrative assistant has an average salary of $38,994, 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 a business administrative assistant are powerpoint, data entry, and provides administrative support.
| Administrative Assistant | Business Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,945 | $38,994 |
| Hourly rate | $16.80 | $18.75 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 65,769 | 101,678 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.14 | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A business administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support business functions and operations. Business administrative assistants manage day-to-day business transactions by responding to clients' emails and phone calls, greeting guests, filing and submitting reports, scheduling appointments and business travels, monitoring inventories, and sending out communications across the organization as needed. They also operate the data management system for customer and client information reference by following strict protocols and data protection procedures.
Administrative assistants and business administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Assistant | Business Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $34,945 | $38,994 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $46,000 | Between $28,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Westfield State University | Goldman Sachs |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between an administrative assistant and a business administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Assistant | Business Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between administrative assistants' and business administrative assistants' demographics:
| Administrative Assistant | Business Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% | Male, 12.2% Female, 87.8% |
| 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, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |