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The differences between executive secretaries and office managers 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 office manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an executive secretary has an average salary of $46,594, which is higher than the $43,395 average annual salary of an office manager.
The top three skills for an executive secretary include office procedures, payroll and word processing. The most important skills for an office manager are customer service, patients, and financial statements.
| Executive Secretary | Office Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $46,594 | $43,395 |
| Hourly rate | $22.40 | $20.86 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 103,802 | 53,712 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
Office managers oversee the entire workplace. They maintain office processes and services to ensure that everything is running well. They manage office supplies by managing inventory and procurement procedures. They also device filing systems, create needed and relevant office policies, and ensure that all the policies are being followed. As a way to make sure that the office is in top shape, office managers supervise most of the logistical aspects inside the office. They also provide support to both management teams and the rest of the employees. They often act as the bridge between the two and would sometimes even assist in the training of new employees.
Executive secretaries and office managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Secretary | Office Manager | |
| Average salary | $46,594 | $43,395 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $69,000 | Between $30,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | InfosysPublicService | Moody's |
| Best paying industry | Government | Construction |
There are a few differences between an executive secretary and an office manager in terms of educational background:
| Executive Secretary | Office Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between executive secretaries' and office managers' demographics:
| Executive Secretary | Office Manager | |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 7.7% Female, 92.3% | Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5% |
| 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, 10.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |