Administrative technician vs administrative professional

The differences between administrative technicians and administrative professionals 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 technician and an administrative professional. Additionally, an administrative technician has an average salary of $41,290, which is higher than the $39,486 average annual salary of an administrative professional.

The top three skills for an administrative technician include customer service, data entry and patients. The most important skills for an administrative professional are customer service, powerpoint, and data entry.

Administrative technician vs administrative professional overview

	Administrative Technician	Administrative Professional
Yearly salary	$41,290	$39,486
Hourly rate	$19.85	$18.98
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	73,101	87,372
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an administrative technician do?

Administrative technicians are employees who manage a variety of administrative tasks. They are in charge of sorting out mail, taking phone calls, and managing meeting room reservations. They work on the upkeep of files and records, office supplies, and admin systems. Administrative technicians are sometimes assigned to conduct research and devise ways to improve the efficiency of office operations. They assist administrative officers and managers in drafting policies and guidelines. Administrative technicians may also be assigned to create presentation materials and documentary requirements needed by the department.

What does an administrative professional do?

An administrative professional specializes in performing administrative support and clerical tasks in a company or office, ensuring accuracy and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around managing schedules, arranging appointments and meetings, producing progress reports and presentations, delegating tasks, and attending meetings on behalf of executives or staff. There are also instances when an administrative assistant must answer calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries and concerns, welcome guests, relay messages, and provide staff with any support tasks or documents.

Administrative technician vs administrative professional salary

Administrative technicians and administrative professionals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Technician	Administrative Professional
Average salary	$41,290	$39,486
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $65,000	Between $23,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Connecticut
Best paying company	InfosysPublicService	HomeOwners Advantage
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between administrative technician and administrative professional education

There are a few differences between an administrative technician and an administrative professional in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Technician	Administrative Professional
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Administrative technician vs administrative professional demographics

Here are the differences between administrative technicians' and administrative professionals' demographics:

	Administrative Technician	Administrative Professional
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0%	Male, 17.4% Female, 82.6%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between administrative technician and administrative professional duties and responsibilities

Administrative technician example responsibilities.

Design and manage an innovative human capital and knowledge management information technology systems (e.g., PeopleSoft).
Manage after-hour phone consultations and create referral records for 2.2k patients while ensuring care continuity from civilian medical facilities.
Perform classroom instruction on Linux OS and database operations.
Utilize SharePoint to copy soft tokens into the appropriate agency's folder.
Build, maintain and support the company's Intranet portal system using SharePoint.
Set up PCs and laptops to any new employee for when they first arrive.

Administrative professional example responsibilities.

Manage documentation, folder structures and user permissions in SharePoint.
Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Keep vendors accounts up to date, process payroll, collect on accounts receivable, keep accounts payable up to date.
Create document libraries for several hospital initiatives in SharePoint.
Receive and distribute payroll garnishment/bankruptcy notification letters to employees.
Develop and maintain relevant organizational charts, facilitating retrieval of staff data in PowerPoint format.

Administrative technician vs administrative professional skills

Common administrative technician skills

Customer Service, 14%
Data Entry, 11%
Patients, 8%
Database Management, 5%
Payroll, 5%
Troubleshoot, 4%

Common administrative professional skills

Customer Service, 16%
PowerPoint, 12%
Data Entry, 11%
Travel Arrangements, 7%
Administrative Tasks, 3%
Office Equipment, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Administrative Technician
Administrative Technician vs Administrative Professional

Updated January 8, 2025

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