Front desk administrators are often the front line for a business and are critical for day-to-day operations. Front desk administrators typically work in the front desk/reception area of an organization and interface with customers and the public on a day-to-day basis. A front desk administrator's responsibilities include, but are not limited to, greeting guests, data entry, booking appointments, answering customer calls and queries, managing schedules, handling business correspondence, assisting in office supply maintenance and inventory, managing insurance documents, and offering office support to management and staff.

Front desk administrators are masters at multi-tasking, and have strong computer, interpersonal, and communication skills. They are expected to maintain a professional image by interacting with customers and assisting in resolution of their issues in a cordial and courteous manner.

An advanced degree is not required for a position as a front desk administrator. Many front desk administrators can make up to $31,000 per year, and the projected job growth in the US is 14% by 2028.

What Does a Front Desk Administration Do

There are certain skills that many front desk administrations have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed writing skills, interpersonal skills and organizational skills.

Learn more about what a Front Desk Administration does

How To Become a Front Desk Administration

If you're interested in becoming a front desk administration, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 44.8% of front desk administrations have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.3% of front desk administrations have master's degrees. Even though some front desk administrations have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Front Desk Administration

Front Desk Administration Career Paths

Average Salary for a Front Desk Administration

Front Desk Administrations in America make an average salary of $34,479 per year or $17 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $45,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.
Average Front Desk Administration Salary
$34,479 Yearly
$16.58 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Front Desk Administration

There are several types of front desk administration, including:

Receptionist

Role:

Can you hear me now? That's because a receptionist spends quite a bit of time on the phone, but that's not all their responsible for. Receptionists also spend time helping visitors and educating the public about the organization they work for.

This is one of those jobs that comes with a lot of opportunities. In fact, there are receptionist positions across almost every industry so you definitely won't have a hard time finding a job in this field.

Typically, a receptionist needs a high school diploma. More specific training will be given once you have the job. Then, when you've got the swing of things, you'll be answering phones and helping guests like a pro.

  • Average Salary: $30,571
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Front Desk Receptionist

Role:

A front desk receptionist has to be very knowledgable about the company they work for so, if a visitor has a question, the receptionist will be able to answer. They also spend a lot of their day answering phones.

Since a lot of different industries require a front-desk receptionist, you can assume that there will never be a shortage of opportunity just waiting for you. It'll take you no time to find a job that you enjoy.

Typically, front desk receptionists are required to earn a high school diploma. Which means you won't have to spend a lot of your hard-earned cash on an education. As a bonus, no student loans so you can start saving for retirement early in the game.

  • Average Salary: $31,050
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Office Administrator

Role:

As office administrator, you've got to lay down the law for your team. Sure, no one likes a tough boss, but they need to know what goals they're aiming for, and that's where you come in. You'll need to divide and conquer on some tasks, so the team doesn't feel overwhelmed.

The biggest, and probably toughest, part of your job is making sure your team is consistantly performing. You have to find a nice balance for employees so they don't get burned out on work, while also making sure they're not playing Solitaire on their computer.

Office administrators typically work somewhere between 35-40 hours a week. Generally, they won't work more than that. This means you might get to go home a little early some days. Our fingers are crossed that you get off a little early on Friday, so you can kickstart your weekend on a high note.

  • Average Salary: $37,423
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Front Desk Administration Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active front desk administration jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where front desk administrations earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Front Desk Administration Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California3,458$39,900
2Texas2,715$32,641
3Florida2,670$30,975
4New York1,909$40,422
5Pennsylvania1,512$33,010
6Illinois1,337$38,736
7Ohio1,273$34,712
8Virginia1,261$33,605
9Georgia1,251$32,423
10New Jersey1,085$41,673
11Massachusetts1,075$39,654
12North Carolina1,056$31,141
13Michigan976$37,976
14Tennessee888$31,374
15Washington847$45,293
16Maryland829$34,320
17Arizona800$33,781
18Minnesota763$40,822
19Missouri748$36,280
20Indiana740$32,006
21Colorado688$38,287
22Wisconsin630$38,648
23South Carolina575$29,286
24Alabama512$31,361
25Utah481$38,897
26Kentucky480$30,902
27Louisiana437$29,136
28Iowa435$36,011
29Connecticut435$36,931
30Oregon434$39,267
31Oklahoma406$29,903
32Kansas340$33,062
33Arkansas324$30,507
34Mississippi281$26,629
35Nevada255$29,171
36New Mexico228$33,297
37Nebraska224$35,815
38Maine216$35,212
39West Virginia205$27,270
40New Hampshire203$39,741
41Rhode Island189$38,571
42Montana189$30,178
43Idaho168$31,556
44Delaware145$35,271
45Hawaii120$41,658
46Alaska93$45,009
47North Dakota88$38,791
48South Dakota81$39,169
49Wyoming80$31,537
50Vermont69$36,352

Front Desk Administration Education

Front Desk Administration Majors

25.7 %

Front Desk Administration Degrees

Bachelors

44.8 %

Associate

22.4 %

High School Diploma

17.3 %

Top Colleges for Front Desk Administrations

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Psychology
Criminal Justice
Sociology

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Political Science
English
Communication

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Nursing
Health Care Administration
Marketing
Communication

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Psychology
Nursing
Marketing
English

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Political Science
Communication
Sociology

6. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Political Science
Sociology
English

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology
Political Science

8. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Business
Criminal Justice
Psychology
Accounting

9. SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville

Morrisville, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,670

Enrollment

2,758

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Nursing
Business
Criminal Justice
Psychology

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Accounting
Psychology
Criminal Justice
Nursing
Health Care Administration

Top Skills For a Front Desk Administration

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 18.5% of front desk administrations listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as writing skills and interpersonal skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Front Desk Administration Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Front Desk Administration templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Front Desk Administration resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Front Desk Administration Resume
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Front Desk Administration Demographics

Front Desk Administration Gender Distribution

Female
Female
85%
Male
Male
15%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among front desk administrations, 85.0% of them are women, while 15.0% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among front desk administrations is White, which makes up 60.4% of all front desk administrations.

  • The most common foreign language among front desk administrations is Spanish at 61.5%.

Online Courses For Front Desk Administration That You May Like

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Best States For a Front Desk Administration

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a front desk administration. The best states for people in this position are Washington, Alaska, New Jersey, and Hawaii. Front desk administrations make the most in Washington with an average salary of $45,293. Whereas in Alaska and New Jersey, they would average $45,009 and $41,673, respectively. While front desk administrations would only make an average of $41,658 in Hawaii, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. New Jersey

Total Front Desk Administration Jobs: 1,085
Highest 10% Earn:
$55,000
Location Quotient:
1.07

2. Utah

Total Front Desk Administration Jobs: 481
Highest 10% Earn:
$51,000
Location Quotient:
1.18

3. Washington

Total Front Desk Administration Jobs: 847
Highest 10% Earn:
$58,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Full List Of Best States For Front Desk Administrations

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Top Front Desk Administration Employers

Most Common Employers For Front Desk Administration

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Crowe$47,777$22.975
2Kidville$36,279$17.4414
3Marriott International$34,142$16.4111
4H&R Block$33,886$16.295
5Cassidy Turley$33,739$16.226
6Cushman & Wakefield$33,611$16.165
7Kelly Services$33,384$16.0522
8Robert Half$32,917$15.8334
9ManpowerGroup$32,889$15.814
10American Red Cross$32,867$15.806