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The differences between office assistants and secretaries 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 assistant and a secretary. Additionally, a secretary has an average salary of $36,442, 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 a secretary are customer service, telephone calls, and payroll.
| Office Assistant | Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $31,517 | $36,442 |
| Hourly rate | $15.15 | $17.52 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 103,293 | 69,315 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department. They manage schedules and appointments, often handling the calendar in the office. They are also responsible for keeping files organized, whether physical or digital copies. During office meetings, secretaries are in charge of documenting the minutes of the meeting and highlighting the action steps that need to be taken. They may also be assigned to check on concerned departments who need to present deliverables in the next office meeting.
Office assistants and secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Assistant | Secretary | |
| Average salary | $31,517 | $36,442 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $41,000 | Between $26,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | California |
| Best paying company | Analysis Group | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between an office assistant and a secretary in terms of educational background:
| Office Assistant | Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between office assistants' and secretaries' demographics:
| Office Assistant | Secretary | |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% |
| 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, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |