Office employee vs office administrator

The differences between office employees and office administrators 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 employee and an office administrator. Additionally, an office administrator has an average salary of $37,423, which is higher than the $35,825 average annual salary of an office employee.

The top three skills for an office employee include customer service, telephone calls and customer accounts. The most important skills for an office administrator are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Office employee vs office administrator overview

	Office Employee	Office Administrator
Yearly salary	$35,825	$37,423
Hourly rate	$17.22	$17.99
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	74,182	118,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office employee do?

An office employee is someone who performs clerical and any other tasks usually performed by managers. Office employees are employed as clerical workers in offices or organizations. They execute tasks such as typing and word processing, answering phone calls, bookkeeping, and stenography. It is their responsibility to ensure the smooth daily operations of an office. Their diligence, communication skills, customer service, hard work, and attention to detail are necessary for this job.

What does an office administrator do?

Office administrators are employees who ensure that the office is running in tip-top shape. They manage the administrative needs of the office. They answer calls directed to the official company phone, manage the inventory of supplies, take charge or purchase requisitions for needed supplies, and ensure the office equipment and fixtures are taken care of. Office administrators also manage correspondences, official memoranda, and other official company documents. They also keep track of files and records to ensure that these are properly organized. At times, office administrators also take charge of welcoming guests and accompanying them to their respective meetings.

Office employee vs office administrator salary

Office employees and office administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Employee	Office Administrator
Average salary	$35,825	$37,423
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $64,000	Between $28,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	East Palo Alto, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	OSF HealthCare	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Professional	Government

Differences between office employee and office administrator education

There are a few differences between an office employee and an office administrator in terms of educational background:

	Office Employee	Office Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Office employee vs office administrator demographics

Here are the differences between office employees' and office administrators' demographics:

	Office Employee	Office Administrator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office employee and office administrator duties and responsibilities

Office employee example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Complete payroll by compiling hours and verifying submissions weekly, via QuickBooks.
File paperwork, organize PowerPoint presentations, assist with typing correspondence and fax documents to appropriate destination.
Demonstrate ability to maintain composure and work efficiently in a fast-pace environment while following HIPAA guidelines.

Office administrator example responsibilities.

Monitor calls, manage calendars, travel, meeting arrangements, video conference and teleconferencing.
Formulate various procedures to assure efficient operation of the SharePoint system is managed properly for CFWB and BOS.
Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Pull patients charts for doctors using EMR system as well as pulled chart from medical records room.
Create and update all departmental ISO documents.
Collect all outgoing FedEx overnight packages and ship with accurate tracking and conformation information.

Office employee vs office administrator skills

Common office employee skills

Customer Service, 72%
Telephone Calls, 5%
Customer Accounts, 4%
Medical Billing, 4%
Computer System, 2%
Front Desk, 1%

Common office administrator skills

Customer Service, 18%
Patients, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Office Equipment, 5%
Front Desk, 4%
PowerPoint, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Office Employee
Office Employee vs Office Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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