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The differences between administrative supports and support associates 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 a support associate. Additionally, a support associate has an average salary of $47,039, 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 a support associate are sales floor, computer system, and POS.
| Administrative Support | Support Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $37,692 | $47,039 |
| Hourly rate | $18.12 | $22.61 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 114,480 | 100,892 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| 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.
The primary role of sales support associates is to help sales staff and customers during the sales process. A sales support associate also performs other tasks that include maintaining positive customer relations, responding to customers' requests for quotes, information, and specifications, and, initiating contact with prospective customers. They are also responsible for coordinating proposals, sales literature production, and presentations. Requirements for this position include a high school diploma or general education development, administrative and communication skills, and organizational skills.
Administrative supports and support associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Support | Support Associate | |
| Average salary | $37,692 | $47,039 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $53,000 | Between $26,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | Apollo Global Management |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between an administrative support and a support associate in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Support | Support Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between administrative supports' and support associates' demographics:
| Administrative Support | Support Associate | |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% | Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3% |
| 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, 11.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 11% |