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The differences between executive secretaries and administrative aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an executive secretary, becoming an administrative aide takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an executive secretary has an average salary of $46,594, which is higher than the $38,714 average annual salary of an administrative aide.
The top three skills for an executive secretary include office procedures, payroll and word processing. The most important skills for an administrative aide are customer service, word processing, and proofreading.
| Executive Secretary | Administrative Aide | |
| Yearly salary | $46,594 | $38,714 |
| Hourly rate | $22.40 | $18.61 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 103,802 | 96,883 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 49 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
The primary role of executive secretaries is to provide clerical support to an executive or a high-level administrator. They are the ones who conduct the different administrative support tasks for executives which include managing the calendar of executives, answering phone calls, conducting research and sorting important files, preparing and proofreading monthly reports and industry documents that are relevant to the role of executives, and performing some bookkeeping activities such as invoice creation and office inventory tracking.
An administrative aide performs daily administrative support tasks in an office, helping to keep the workflow smooth and efficient. Their duties typically include organizing and disseminating documents, answering calls and correspondence, forwarding messages, greeting visitors and answering inquiries, and preparing and processing files. They may also participate in monitoring the inventory of office supplies, handling procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, an administrative aide may also serve as the record-keeper of the office, updating databases in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Executive secretaries and administrative aides have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Secretary | Administrative Aide | |
| Average salary | $46,594 | $38,714 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $69,000 | Between $30,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Windsor, CT |
| Highest paying state | New York | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | InfosysPublicService | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Government | Utilities |
There are a few differences between an executive secretary and an administrative aide in terms of educational background:
| Executive Secretary | Administrative Aide | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between executive secretaries' and administrative aides' demographics:
| Executive Secretary | Administrative Aide | |
| Average age | 49 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 7.7% Female, 92.3% | Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |