Administrative office assistant vs administrative support assistant

The differences between administrative office assistants and administrative support 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 office assistant and an administrative support assistant. Additionally, an administrative support assistant has an average salary of $36,341, 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 support assistant are customer service, provides administrative support, and data entry.

Administrative office assistant vs administrative support assistant overview

	Administrative Office Assistant	Administrative Support Assistant
Yearly salary	$33,318	$36,341
Hourly rate	$16.02	$17.47
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	81,528	118,512
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an administrative office assistant do?

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.

What does an administrative support assistant do?

Administrative support assistants are individuals who provide support to employees and managers. They provide assistance in general functions in various administrative or academic units. Their primary duties involve the management and dissemination of information within an organization. They take memos, maintain files, and answer phone calls. They should develop skills in technology, written and verbal communication, independence, and organization. Excellent skills in problem-solving, time management, and attention to detail are also important.

Administrative office assistant vs administrative support assistant salary

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

	Administrative Office Assistant	Administrative Support Assistant
Average salary	$33,318	$36,341
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $43,000	Between $29,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	SeaTac, WA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Buckley King	Brookhaven National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between administrative office assistant and administrative support assistant education

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

	Administrative Office Assistant	Administrative Support Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Administrative office assistant vs administrative support assistant demographics

Here are the differences between administrative office assistants' and administrative support assistants' demographics:

	Administrative Office Assistant	Administrative Support Assistant
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%	Male, 16.6% Female, 83.4%
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, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between administrative office assistant and administrative support assistant duties and responsibilities

Administrative office assistant example responsibilities.

Develop and manage external financial relationships between clients and the IRS.
Manage the receptionist area, including greeting visitors and responding to telephone and in-person requests for information.
Establish and maintain effective communications and cohesive working relationships with company associates, telephone and walk-in customers, and site visitors.
Dust offices and clean windows and doors.
Update information in CATT database, as well as make appointments for therapists and psychiatrists in Sharepoint.
Create electronic filing system to alleviate paper copies and recruit fellow co-workers to get on board with SharePoint.

Administrative support assistant example responsibilities.

Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Coordinate highly confidential and sensitive material relate to employee relations, payroll and personnel actions.
Complete diverse administrative tasks accurately and efficiently including verification of insurance information, payroll administration, and coordination of department meetings.
Create PowerPoint's of upcoming activities/events to distribute to departments/teams.
Interview patients and determine primary need of interest by providing assistance to other responsible personnel.
Maintain a database with confidential information regarding patients and providing medication for the HIV/AIDS section.

Administrative office assistant vs administrative support assistant skills

Common administrative office assistant skills

Customer Service, 14%
Data Entry, 13%
Phone Calls, 7%
Payroll, 5%
PowerPoint, 4%
Database Management, 4%

Common administrative support assistant skills

Customer Service, 15%
Provides Administrative Support, 6%
Data Entry, 6%
Patients, 5%
Travel Arrangements, 4%
Phone Calls, 4%

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Administrative Office Assistant
Administrative Office Assistant vs Administrative Support Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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