Computer administrator vs information technology administrator

The differences between computer administrators and information technology administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a computer administrator and an information technology administrator. Additionally, a computer administrator has an average salary of $86,150, which is higher than the $73,195 average annual salary of an information technology administrator.

The top three skills for a computer administrator include CAD, troubleshoot and printers. The most important skills for an information technology administrator are customer service, troubleshoot, and linux.

Computer administrator vs information technology administrator overview

	Computer Administrator	Information Technology Administrator
Yearly salary	$86,150	$73,195
Hourly rate	$41.42	$35.19
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	88,405	159,499
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a computer administrator do?

Computer administrators oversee the daily operation of computer networks. These administrators manage the configuration and upkeep of such networks, including updating equipment and software and identifying and resolving issues. They determine what an organization requires in both a network and a computer system before setting it up and configuring it. Also, they are responsible for all installation tasks, recording data, evaluating problems identified by users, and making various troubleshooting attempts to solve them. The skills that they must excel in are technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

What does an information technology administrator do?

An Information Technology (IT) administrator is an individual responsible for managing the day-to-day operation of an organization's IT systems and ensuring that the systems are running effectively. IT administrators must conduct consistent analyses of the computer system and install updates when needed. They are required to assess the organization's security programs and run the system for viruses and spyware. IT administrators also extend support to the organization's end-users and train them on desktop applications.

Computer administrator vs information technology administrator salary

Computer administrators and information technology administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Computer Administrator	Information Technology Administrator
Average salary	$86,150	$73,195
Salary range	Between $62,000 And $118,000	Between $50,000 And $105,000
Highest paying City	Mountain View, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Google	Databricks
Best paying industry	Automotive	Finance

Differences between computer administrator and information technology administrator education

There are a few differences between a computer administrator and an information technology administrator in terms of educational background:

	Computer Administrator	Information Technology Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Computer administrator vs information technology administrator demographics

Here are the differences between computer administrators' and information technology administrators' demographics:

	Computer Administrator	Information Technology Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 72.4% Female, 27.6%	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 10.3% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between computer administrator and information technology administrator duties and responsibilities

Computer administrator example responsibilities.

Manage inventory of forensic hardware and software utilities of forensic laboratory as well as maintaining forensic workstations and laboratory LAN.
Administer IBM - Quickplace & SharePoint collaborative software.
support of OS and any projects assign by upper management.
Supervise and maintain the operation of a school computer and mathematics lab.
Analyze and troubleshoot hardware and software relate issues, as well as resolved end-user problems.
Maintain, analyze, troubleshoot, and repair computer systems, hardware and computer peripherals.

Information technology administrator example responsibilities.

Define, document and project manage the implementation and configuration changes to HRIS applications.
Manage the migration from ADP to Lawson software; adapt HRIS to fit organizational needs.
Manage PC trainers and develop high quality internal instructor-le courses.
Manage host peripheral hardware including disk files and space utilization.
Manage and maintain corporate telecommunications and LAN; recommend repairs as needed.
Manage administration for SharePoint websites including account creation or modifying existing user accounts and site settings.

Computer administrator vs information technology administrator skills

Common computer administrator skills

CAD, 12%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Printers, 6%
Computer System, 6%
Linux, 5%
Desktop, 5%

Common information technology administrator skills

Customer Service, 10%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Linux, 5%
Database, 4%
VMware, 4%
Windows Server, 4%

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Computer Administrator vs Information Technology Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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