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The differences between administrative officers and 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 officer and an administrative assistant. Additionally, an administrative officer has an average salary of $64,338, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for an administrative officer include veterans, human resources and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Administrative Officer | Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $64,338 | $34,945 |
| Hourly rate | $30.93 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 98,238 | 65,769 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An administrative officer is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the company's operations and maintain efficient production. Administrative officers should have excellent office management principles, handling various tasks under minimal supervision and strict deadline. They must be detail-oriented, especially on data processing systems, to encode information and update the company's documents. An administrative officer should be highly-communicative to respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, negotiate with suppliers and third-party vendors, scheduling meetings, and creating business transaction reports.
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.
Administrative officers and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Officer | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $64,338 | $34,945 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $103,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | UBS | Westfield State University |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between an administrative officer and an administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Officer | Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between administrative officers' and administrative assistants' demographics:
| Administrative Officer | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |