Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between clerical/administrative assistants and administrative supports can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a clerical/administrative assistant and an administrative support. Additionally, an administrative support has an average salary of $37,692, which is higher than the $30,983 average annual salary of a clerical/administrative assistant.
The top three skills for a clerical/administrative assistant include data entry, word processing and payroll. The most important skills for an administrative support are customer service, administrative tasks, and data entry.
| Clerical/Administrative Assistant | Administrative Support | |
| Yearly salary | $30,983 | $37,692 |
| Hourly rate | $14.90 | $18.12 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 56,261 | 114,480 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An administrative assistant, also known as a secretary or office clerk, is someone who carries out daily clerical and administrative tasks. Admin assistants do a variety of tasks such as answering phone calls, organizing files, maintaining contacts, schedule meetings and appointments, and many more. Their task can be extensive, depending on the needs of operations and higher management. They serve as a gatekeeper of the company, so strong verbal and written communication skills are a must. They should also exhibit great organizational skills and time management since they act as the resource of the company.
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.
Clerical/administrative assistants and administrative supports have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clerical/Administrative Assistant | Administrative Support | |
| Average salary | $30,983 | $37,692 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $26,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | University of California | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a clerical/administrative assistant and an administrative support in terms of educational background:
| Clerical/Administrative Assistant | Administrative Support | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between clerical/administrative assistants' and administrative supports' demographics:
| Clerical/Administrative Assistant | Administrative Support | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| 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, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |