Administrative support vs executive administrator

The differences between administrative supports and executive administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an administrative support, becoming an executive administrator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an executive administrator has an average salary of $52,855, 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 executive administrator are powerpoint, customer service, and expense reports.

Administrative support vs executive administrator overview

	Administrative Support	Executive Administrator
Yearly salary	$37,692	$52,855
Hourly rate	$18.12	$25.41
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	114,480	141,235
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	50	49
Years of experience	2	4

What does an administrative support do?

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.

What does an executive administrator do?

An executive administrator is responsible for assisting the senior management staff in planning strategies and analyzing business decisions to achieve the company's goals and objectives. Executive administrators schedule meetings and handle appointments, as well as helping with the implementation of training and programs for the employees to reach their maximum operational potential and increase productivity to meet projects' demands and ensure the highest customer satisfaction. They must have exceptional time-management and organizational skills, especially on performing administrative and clerical duties as needed, as well as excellent communication skills to respond to clients' inquiries, concerns, and requests.

Administrative support vs executive administrator salary

Administrative supports and executive administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Support	Executive Administrator
Average salary	$37,692	$52,855
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $53,000	Between $35,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New York
Best paying company	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between administrative support and executive administrator education

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

	Administrative Support	Executive Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Administrative support vs executive administrator demographics

Here are the differences between administrative supports' and executive administrators' demographics:

	Administrative Support	Executive Administrator
Average age	50	49
Gender ratio	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%	Male, 14.8% Female, 85.2%
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, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	10%

Differences between administrative support and executive administrator duties and responsibilities

Administrative support example responsibilities.

Manage company finances using QuickBooks software, including monitoring the operating budget and collecting on unpaid invoices.
Interview veterans to determine issues/concerns and recommend services.
Mail VA benefits correspondence to veterans and various organizations.
Prepare payroll packages for distribution and delivery, including collating and packing of documents.
Research and maintain reference library with ADAPCP in support of prevention and rehabilitation efforts.
Develop SharePoint training of project personal and create operating procedures, training documents and briefings.

Executive administrator example responsibilities.

Manage grant funding from NIH, HRSA, and private foundations.
Manage on-site nursing services deliver to patients; oversee billing and supervise on-site personnel.
Manage day-to-day human resource functions: maintain HRIS database, conduct new employee orientation, and benefits administration.
Manage 200 staff personnel (145 FTE's), consisting of 15 classifications, two unions and exempt personnel.
Develop twitter marketing landing pages, manage and maintain social marketing sites, blogs, and constant contact marketing efforts.
Achieve JCAHO accreditation for ambulatory care facilities.

Administrative support vs executive administrator skills

Common administrative support skills

Customer Service, 18%
Administrative Tasks, 8%
Data Entry, 6%
Payroll, 6%
Phone Calls, 6%
Patients, 5%

Common executive administrator skills

PowerPoint, 10%
Customer Service, 9%
Expense Reports, 7%
Office Procedures, 6%
Payroll, 5%
Data Entry, 5%

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Administrative Support
Administrative Support vs Executive Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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