Office assistant vs office manager

The differences between office assistants and office managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an office assistant, becoming an office manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an office manager has an average salary of $43,395, which is higher than the $31,517 average annual salary of an office assistant.

The top three skills for an office assistant include data entry, patients and customer service. The most important skills for an office manager are customer service, patients, and financial statements.

Office assistant vs office manager overview

	Office Assistant	Office Manager
Yearly salary	$31,517	$43,395
Hourly rate	$15.15	$20.86
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	103,293	53,712
Job satisfaction	5	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	6

What does an office assistant do?

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.

What does an office manager do?

Office managers oversee the entire workplace. They maintain office processes and services to ensure that everything is running well. They manage office supplies by managing inventory and procurement procedures. They also device filing systems, create needed and relevant office policies, and ensure that all the policies are being followed. As a way to make sure that the office is in top shape, office managers supervise most of the logistical aspects inside the office. They also provide support to both management teams and the rest of the employees. They often act as the bridge between the two and would sometimes even assist in the training of new employees.

Office assistant vs office manager salary

Office assistants and office managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Assistant	Office Manager
Average salary	$31,517	$43,395
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $41,000	Between $30,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Vermont	New York
Best paying company	Analysis Group	Moody's
Best paying industry	Government	Construction

Differences between office assistant and office manager education

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

	Office Assistant	Office Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	California State University - Bakersfield

Office assistant vs office manager demographics

Here are the differences between office assistants' and office managers' demographics:

	Office Assistant	Office Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7%	Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	8%

Differences between office assistant and office manager duties and responsibilities

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.

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Office manager example responsibilities.

Manage international team development of RFP for new MPLS global network services.
Produce around $100k month sales/ billings, AIA documents, and manage customer accounts.
Monitor and manage the HVAC environment and nightly office cleaning performance for maximum comfort, appearance and functionality.
Manage PMO office functions including creation of strategic plan, marketing of services, and resource and project planning.
Manage production of an RFP to source $60m in software and services and manage a subset of the subsequent implementation.
Manage daily functions and systems to ensure patients receive appropriate accommodations under HIPAA guidelines.

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Office assistant vs office manager skills

Common office assistant skills

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

Common office manager skills

Customer Service, 19%
Patients, 13%
Financial Statements, 6%
Office Operations, 4%
Office Equipment, 4%
Scheduling Appointments, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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