Administrative support staff vs support staff

The differences between administrative support staff and desk clerks supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an administrative support staff and a support staff. Additionally, an administrative support staff has an average salary of $33,602, which is higher than the $31,772 average annual salary of a support staff.

The top three skills for an administrative support staff include excellent interpersonal, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for a support staff are customer service, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Administrative support staff vs support staff overview

	Administrative Support Staff	Support Staff
Yearly salary	$33,602	$31,772
Hourly rate	$16.15	$15.28
Growth rate	-8%	36%
Number of jobs	162,436	161,915
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Administrative support staff vs support staff salary

Administrative support staff and desk clerks supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Support Staff	Support Staff
Average salary	$33,602	$31,772
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Lakeland Electric
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between administrative support staff and support staff education

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

	Administrative Support Staff	Support Staff
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Duke University

Administrative support staff vs support staff demographics

Here are the differences between administrative support staff' and desk clerks supervisors' demographics:

	Administrative Support Staff	Support Staff
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5%	Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 6.2% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between administrative support staff and support staff duties and responsibilities

Administrative support staff example responsibilities.

Create PowerPoint presentations, manage spreadsheet information/graphs and provide reports as necessary.
Maintain SharePoint site for SEDD branch.
Prepare and release medical records in accordance with HIPAA policy.
Process submission of employee's retirement contributions, payroll and insurance benefits.
Assist project and event coordinators with the logistics and operations of various projects.
Monitor client payments, enter and adjust payroll, and create credit and billing invoices.

Support staff example responsibilities.

Manage SharePoint inventory repository and assign access levels to new hires as needed.
Provide companionship to the consumer.
Tutor students in various science courses, English and GED prep classes.
Maintain a safe, supportive and therapeutic environment which fosters growth and rehabilitation.
Work with students at various levels of mathematics knowledge within the same teaching environment.
Work with students who have graduated from the developmental mathematics program on more advance mathematics classes.

Administrative support staff vs support staff skills

Common administrative support staff skills

Excellent Interpersonal, 20%
Data Entry, 14%
Customer Service, 10%
Word Processing, 7%
Scheduling Appointments, 6%
Personnel Data, 6%

Common support staff skills

Customer Service, 9%
Developmental Disabilities, 7%
Mental Health, 6%
Meal Preparation, 6%
Direct Care, 6%
Home Maintenance, 6%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Administrative Support Staff
Administrative Support Staff vs Support Staff

Updated January 8, 2025

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