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The differences between lead associates and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate has an average salary of $69,556, which is higher than the $54,903 average annual salary of a lead associate.
The top three skills for a lead associate include PET, leadership and POS. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.
| Lead Associate | Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $54,903 | $69,556 |
| Hourly rate | $26.40 | $33.44 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 188,353 | 569,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
The duties of a lead associate depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In a retail setting, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify new business opportunities, devising strategies to optimize sales, and reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence. A lead associate may offer products and services to potential clients, answer inquiries, conduct demonstrations, process payments, arrange billing plans, and perform follow-up calls. Furthermore, they may also handle issues and concerns, resolving them in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.
Lead associates and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Associate | Associate | |
| Average salary | $54,903 | $69,556 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $117,000 | Between $34,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New York |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a lead associate and an associate in terms of educational background:
| Lead Associate | Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | - |
Here are the differences between lead associates' and associates' demographics:
| Lead Associate | Associate | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |