Executive secretary vs office secretary

The differences between executive secretaries and office secretaries 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 secretary takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an executive secretary has an average salary of $46,594, which is higher than the $33,118 average annual salary of an office secretary.

The top three skills for an executive secretary include office procedures, payroll and word processing. The most important skills for an office secretary are data entry, phone calls, and telephone calls.

Executive secretary vs office secretary overview

	Executive Secretary	Office Secretary
Yearly salary	$46,594	$33,118
Hourly rate	$22.40	$15.92
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	103,802	87,771
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	49	50
Years of experience	4	2

What does an executive secretary do?

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.

What does an office secretary do?

An office secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations and prevent delays with project deliverables. Office secretaries also welcome guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate department or personnel for their appointments. They schedule meetings, sort documents, handle incoming and outgoing mail, as well as manage inventories for the adequacy of office supplies. An office secretary must have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to conduct tasks within a strict deadline and minimal supervision.

Executive secretary vs office secretary salary

Executive secretaries and office secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Executive Secretary	Office Secretary
Average salary	$46,594	$33,118
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $69,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	InfosysPublicService	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	Government	Telecommunication

Differences between executive secretary and office secretary education

There are a few differences between an executive secretary and an office secretary in terms of educational background:

	Executive Secretary	Office Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

Executive secretary vs office secretary demographics

Here are the differences between executive secretaries' and office secretaries' demographics:

	Executive Secretary	Office Secretary
Average age	49	50
Gender ratio	Male, 7.7% Female, 92.3%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
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, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between executive secretary and office secretary duties and responsibilities

Executive secretary example responsibilities.

Manage specific projects from start to finish as required by the SVP.
Manage high volume of requests and correspondence from executives and colleagues, pharmaceutical representatives, patients and outside physicians.
Assist in daily typing of correspondence to agencies regarding Medicare and Medicaid contracts.
Maintain all the student records in PowerSchool and generate report cards with accuracy.
Maintain all departmental information, including transcription of meeting minutes and all audit and payroll documentation.
Input miss time punch and vacation/sick time in KRONOS for employees.

Show more

Office secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Research and keep updated on Medicare and Medicaid benefits, qualification requirements, and the legal and financial effects of options.
Determine client eligibility for Medicaid transportation.
Process and submit payroll information and invoices.
Maintain departmental inventory, purchasing/travel paperwork, and process payroll.
Answer customer phone calls-Record daily business transactions-Manage QuickBooks and bank accounts-Enter parts invoices and take inventory

Show more

Executive secretary vs office secretary skills

Common executive secretary skills

Office Procedures, 9%
Payroll, 9%
Word Processing, 8%
PowerPoint, 8%
Financial Statements, 6%
Scheduling Appointments, 5%

Common office secretary skills

Data Entry, 12%
Phone Calls, 11%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Scheduling Appointments, 7%
Office Procedures, 7%
Payroll, 6%

Executive Secretary vs. similar jobs

Executive Secretary related careers

Executive Secretary related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z