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The differences between administrative officers 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 officer and an office administrator. Additionally, an administrative officer has an average salary of $64,338, which is higher than the $37,423 average annual salary of an office administrator.
The top three skills for an administrative officer include veterans, human resources and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an office administrator are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Administrative Officer | Office Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $64,338 | $37,423 |
| Hourly rate | $30.93 | $17.99 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 98,238 | 118,096 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 50 | 47 |
| 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.
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 officers and office administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Officer | Office Administrator | |
| Average salary | $64,338 | $37,423 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $103,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Alaska |
| Best paying company | UBS | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between an administrative officer and an office administrator in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Officer | Office Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between administrative officers' and office administrators' demographics:
| Administrative Officer | Office Administrator | |
| Average age | 50 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% | Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3% |
| 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, 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% |