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The differences between administrative office assistants and office administrators 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 office administrator. Additionally, an office administrator has an average salary of $37,423, 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 office administrator are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Administrative Office Assistant | Office Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $33,318 | $37,423 |
| Hourly rate | $16.02 | $17.99 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 81,528 | 118,096 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 50 | 47 |
| 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.
Office administrators are employees who ensure that the office is running in tip-top shape. They manage the administrative needs of the office. They answer calls directed to the official company phone, manage the inventory of supplies, take charge or purchase requisitions for needed supplies, and ensure the office equipment and fixtures are taken care of. Office administrators also manage correspondences, official memoranda, and other official company documents. They also keep track of files and records to ensure that these are properly organized. At times, office administrators also take charge of welcoming guests and accompanying them to their respective meetings.
Administrative office assistants and office administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Office Assistant | Office Administrator | |
| Average salary | $33,318 | $37,423 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $43,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Buckley King | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between an administrative office assistant and an office administrator in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Office Assistant | Office Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between administrative office assistants' and office administrators' demographics:
| Administrative Office Assistant | Office Administrator | |
| Average age | 50 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3% | Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |