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The differences between administrative assistants and secretaries 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 secretary. Additionally, a secretary has an average salary of $36,442, 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 secretary are customer service, telephone calls, and payroll.
| Administrative Assistant | Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $34,945 | $36,442 |
| Hourly rate | $16.80 | $17.52 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 65,769 | 69,315 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.14 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| 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.
Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department. They manage schedules and appointments, often handling the calendar in the office. They are also responsible for keeping files organized, whether physical or digital copies. During office meetings, secretaries are in charge of documenting the minutes of the meeting and highlighting the action steps that need to be taken. They may also be assigned to check on concerned departments who need to present deliverables in the next office meeting.
Administrative assistants and secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Assistant | Secretary | |
| Average salary | $34,945 | $36,442 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $46,000 | Between $26,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Westfield State University | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between an administrative assistant and a secretary in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Assistant | Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between administrative assistants' and secretaries' demographics:
| Administrative Assistant | Secretary | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% |
| 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, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |