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The differences between departmental assistants and administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a departmental assistant and an administrative assistant. Additionally, a departmental assistant has an average salary of $39,690, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for a departmental assistant include HR, chemistry and data analysis. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Departmental Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $39,690 | $34,945 |
| Hourly rate | $19.08 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 34,480 | 65,769 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Departmental assistants and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Departmental Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $39,690 | $34,945 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $55,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Barbara, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | University of Massachusetts Boston | Westfield State University |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a departmental assistant and an administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Departmental Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between departmental assistants' and administrative assistants' demographics:
| Departmental Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |