Administrator vs program administrator

The differences between administrators and program administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an administrator and a program administrator. Additionally, an administrator has an average salary of $72,882, which is higher than the $50,715 average annual salary of a program administrator.

The top three skills for an administrator include customer service, data entry and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a program administrator are customer service, oversight, and patients.

Administrator vs program administrator overview

	Administrator	Program Administrator
Yearly salary	$72,882	$50,715
Hourly rate	$35.04	$24.38
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	67,553	119,898
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does an administrator do?

Administrators are administrative professionals who oversee the whole office or department. They manage office activities and supervise administrative functions in the office. They work the office calendar and oversee the appointment-setting process. They coordinate office events and ensure that all preparations are made and that there are no conflicting schedules. They also maintain a database of external providers of various office needs. Administrators also oversee office supplies and prepare purchase requisitions. They also manage janitorial services and other functions that are related to the maintenance of the physical office space. Administrators ensure that all fixtures and equipment in the office are functioning well and have no problems.

What does a program administrator do?

Program administrators are responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating their organization's program or service. Their duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the industry they work at, such as educational, community, and social services. Among these duties are selecting and supervising the staff to manage a certain program or project, managing the program's budget, and evaluating the success of a program. To become successful in this role, a program administrator must have in-depth knowledge of project management disciplines, leadership skills, and decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Administrator vs program administrator salary

Administrators and program administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrator	Program Administrator
Average salary	$72,882	$50,715
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $113,000	Between $34,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	Apple	Meta
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between administrator and program administrator education

There are a few differences between an administrator and a program administrator in terms of educational background:

	Administrator	Program Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Administrator vs program administrator demographics

Here are the differences between administrators' and program administrators' demographics:

	Administrator	Program Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0%	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between administrator and program administrator duties and responsibilities

Administrator example responsibilities.

Develop a Perl script to manage the LDAP schema.
Hire and manage all receptionists and assistant MCA's.
Used all tools of Java stack in supporting and managing it.
Manage and process product orders on windows base on-line computer network system.
Manage ADP time system for technicians and approve time-off requests, supporting management.
Manage professional staff of 9 (including 5 MDs) and support staff of 10

Program administrator example responsibilities.

Manage monetary, laptop and training supports for members living with HIV.
Manage overall document inventory and wiki updates via SharePoint.
Manage CRM and SharePoint systems for online recruiting technology company.
Manage co-op vendor and provide overall program direction for Toyota dealers and regional offices nationwide.
Develop and implement administrative procedures for new mental health management unit providing day services to elderly patients.
Invoice clients using QuickBooks software.

Administrator vs program administrator skills

Common administrator skills

Customer Service, 18%
Data Entry, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Payroll, 6%
Financial Reports, 4%
Oversight, 4%

Common program administrator skills

Customer Service, 7%
Oversight, 7%
Patients, 6%
Project Management, 6%
PowerPoint, 4%
Client Facing, 4%

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Administrator vs Program Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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