Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between office aides 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 an office aide and an office assistant. Additionally, an office assistant has an average salary of $31,517, which is higher than the $29,255 average annual salary of an office aide.
The top three skills for an office aide include data entry, phone calls and telephone calls. The most important skills for an office assistant are data entry, patients, and customer service.
| Office Aide | Office Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $29,255 | $31,517 |
| Hourly rate | $14.06 | $15.15 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 76,712 | 103,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Also called an office assistant, an office aide is someone whose responsibility focuses on secretarial and administrative tasks in health practices, schools, businesses, or any other institution. Office aides help with logistical and clerical needs like copying files, curating schedules, and answering phones. They manage and organize files, receive and direct visitors, create presentations, and answer emails. The skills they need include computer and email use, filing documents, answering multiline phone systems, and typing.
Office assistants perform various tasks to ensure that the business runs organized and efficient. An office assistant must possess excellent communication and multi-tasking skills to handle essential duties such as scheduling meetings, monitoring office supplies, storing documents and necessary paperwork, handling customer inquiries and appointments, coordinating in company events, and accomplishing other clerical tasks and administrative support. Office assistants are also required to communicate any observation that would possibly make an impact on the company's performance.
Office aides and office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Aide | Office Assistant | |
| Average salary | $29,255 | $31,517 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $37,000 | Between $24,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Community Solutions | Analysis Group |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between an office aide and an office assistant in terms of educational background:
| Office Aide | Office Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between office aides' and office assistants' demographics:
| Office Aide | Office Assistant | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.2% Female, 75.8% | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 8.3% White, 52.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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% |