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The differences between office associates 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 associate and an office assistant. Additionally, an office assistant has an average salary of $31,517, which is higher than the $31,276 average annual salary of an office associate.
The top three skills for an office associate include customer service, patients and data entry. The most important skills for an office assistant are data entry, patients, and customer service.
| Office Associate | Office Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $31,276 | $31,517 |
| Hourly rate | $15.04 | $15.15 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 80,214 | 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 |
Office associates have varied duties and responsibilities within an organization. They are responsible for the cash management operation, customer service functions, and administrative services. Other responsibilities include organizing and maintaining files and documents, administering all bookkeeping activities, and managing the entire office. Office associates also oversee the overall human resource activities within an organization, such as handling employment forms and health insurance administration. The skills required for this position include communication skills, organizational skills, and active listening skills.
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 associates and office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Associate | Office Assistant | |
| Average salary | $31,276 | $31,517 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $39,000 | Between $24,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Persistent Systems | Analysis Group |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between an office associate and an office assistant in terms of educational background:
| Office Associate | Office Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between office associates' and office assistants' demographics:
| Office Associate | Office Assistant | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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% |