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The differences between administrative office assistants and administrative associates 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 office assistant and an administrative associate. Additionally, an administrative associate has an average salary of $34,873, which is higher than the $33,318 average annual salary of an administrative office assistant.
The top three skills for an administrative office assistant include customer service, data entry and phone calls. The most important skills for an administrative associate are administrative tasks, purchase orders, and customer service.
| Administrative Office Assistant | Administrative Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $33,318 | $34,873 |
| Hourly rate | $16.02 | $16.77 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 81,528 | 54,499 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An administrative office assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties to assist in daily management operations. These duties include taking calls and responding to client and customers' inquiries and concerns, scheduling meetings and conferences, organizing files and submitting required documents, sorting invoices for release, processing travel arrangements, receiving emails, forwarding reports to the appropriate department, and coordinating with company's events. An administrative assistant must be detail-oriented, as well as having excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform duties even under minimal supervision.
An administrative associate is responsible for performing various tasks such as handling and processing paperwork, attending meetings and preparing minutes, responding to inquiries and other forms of correspondence, keeping accurate records, updating databases, and monitoring the company's financial activities. They also communicate with various department personnel, ensuring coordination should any important matter would arise. Furthermore, as an administrative associate, they are in charge of procuring supplies, implementing company policies, and supporting any staff members if needed.
Administrative office assistants and administrative associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Office Assistant | Administrative Associate | |
| Average salary | $33,318 | $34,873 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $43,000 | Between $23,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Buckley King | Lord Abbett |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between an administrative office assistant and an administrative associate in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Office Assistant | Administrative Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between administrative office assistants' and administrative associates' demographics:
| Administrative Office Assistant | Administrative Associate | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3% | Male, 21.6% Female, 78.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% 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, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |