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The differences between executive secretaries and administrative assistants 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 assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an executive secretary has an average salary of $46,594, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for an executive secretary include office procedures, payroll and word processing. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Executive Secretary | Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $46,594 | $34,945 |
| Hourly rate | $22.40 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 103,802 | 65,769 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| 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.
Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.
Executive secretaries and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Secretary | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $46,594 | $34,945 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $69,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | InfosysPublicService | Westfield State University |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between an executive secretary and an administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Executive Secretary | Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between executive secretaries' and administrative assistants' demographics:
| Executive Secretary | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 49 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 7.7% Female, 92.3% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| 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, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |