General office worker vs office assistant

The differences between general office workers and office assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a general office worker and an office assistant. Additionally, an office assistant has an average salary of $31,517, which is higher than the $29,182 average annual salary of a general office worker.

The top three skills for a general office worker include data entry, direct calls and office equipment. The most important skills for an office assistant are data entry, patients, and customer service.

General office worker vs office assistant overview

	General Office Worker	Office Assistant
Yearly salary	$29,182	$31,517
Hourly rate	$14.03	$15.15
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	126,332	103,293
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

General office worker vs office assistant salary

General office workers and office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Office Worker	Office Assistant
Average salary	$29,182	$31,517
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $24,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	Vermont
Best paying company	Valmont Industries	Analysis Group
Best paying industry	Transportation	Government

Differences between general office worker and office assistant education

There are a few differences between a general office worker and an office assistant in terms of educational background:

	General Office Worker	Office Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

General office worker vs office assistant demographics

Here are the differences between general office workers' and office assistants' demographics:

	General Office Worker	Office Assistant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%	Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 8.3% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between general office worker and office assistant duties and responsibilities

General office worker example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Perform basic tasks using QuickBooks software.
Prepare and submit weekly payroll for processing.
Assist in payroll preparation by calculating time sheets and relate duties.
Prepare for upcoming alumni events.
Create professional sales presentations in PowerPoint.

Office assistant example responsibilities.

Manage filing, photocopying, collating, and faxing public and seal case documents.
Manage CI s SharePoint pages and serve as CI s subject matter expert on SharePoint working groups.
Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Compile payroll records, detect and reconcile discrepancies, accurately report outcomes using QuickBooks.
Maintain office services by organizing office operations and procedures, preparing payroll, controlling correspondences, and designing filing systems.
File client paperwork upholding HIPAA standards.

General office worker vs office assistant skills

Common general office worker skills

Data Entry, 20%
Direct Calls, 18%
Office Equipment, 15%
Computer Programs, 15%
Adjudication Process, 8%
Customer Service, 5%

Common office assistant skills

Data Entry, 16%
Patients, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Scheduling Appointments, 6%
Front Desk, 6%

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Office and Administrative Industry
General Office Worker
General Office Worker vs Office Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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