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The differences between administrative supports and administrative support specialists 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 support and an administrative support specialist. Additionally, an administrative support specialist has an average salary of $38,244, which is higher than the $37,692 average annual salary of an administrative support.
The top three skills for an administrative support include customer service, administrative tasks and data entry. The most important skills for an administrative support specialist are customer service, data entry, and patients.
| Administrative Support | Administrative Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $37,692 | $38,244 |
| Hourly rate | $18.12 | $18.39 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 114,480 | 139,654 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries. Most of these duties revolve around supervising and distributing information within an organization. This typically includes taking memos, answering phone calls, and managing, storing, and organizing files. They are also responsible for receiving and sending correspondence and greeting customers and clients. Some administrative support may be required to have vast professional knowledge as their duties are more specialized than the others.
An administrative support specialist is an individual who is involved in the office management, clerical tasks, and back-office duties of an organization. To run the office smoothly, administrative support specialists must manage the purchasing and inventory of office supplies as well as schedule the maintenance of office equipment. They serve as a liaison for executives by screening incoming calls and emails, sorting mails, and setting appointments with employees, customers, and vendors. Administrative support specialists must also be able to draft memos and edit report proposals and other business documents.
Administrative supports and administrative support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Support | Administrative Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $37,692 | $38,244 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $53,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | King County |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Government |
There are a few differences between an administrative support and an administrative support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Support | Administrative Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between administrative supports' and administrative support specialists' demographics:
| Administrative Support | Administrative Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% | Male, 20.5% Female, 79.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.6% 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, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |