Office manager vs executive assistant

The differences between office managers and executive assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an office manager, becoming an executive assistant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an executive assistant has an average salary of $50,539, which is higher than the $43,395 average annual salary of an office manager.

The top three skills for an office manager include customer service, patients and financial statements. The most important skills for an executive assistant are powerpoint, customer service, and phone calls.

Office manager vs executive assistant overview

	Office Manager	Executive Assistant
Yearly salary	$43,395	$50,539
Hourly rate	$20.86	$24.30
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	53,712	93,116
Job satisfaction	5	4.4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	47	49
Years of experience	6	4

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.

What does an executive assistant do?

Executive assistants are employees who are assigned to work under the supervision of company executives. They manage the activities of the executives they are assigned to by manning the executive's calendar, scheduling appointments, setting meetings, ensuring that the executives are familiar with their schedule for the day, and taking note of any deliverable that may be needed. They are also responsible for taking care of any document or paperwork that the executive needs, as well as preparing presentation materials or briefers for meetings. Executive assistants are also usually exposed to actual company operations to further understand how the business works and to be of better help to the executive.

Office manager vs executive assistant salary

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

	Office Manager	Executive Assistant
Average salary	$43,395	$50,539
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $62,000	Between $35,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Moody's	Meta
Best paying industry	Construction	Finance

Differences between office manager and executive assistant education

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

	Office Manager	Executive Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Western Carolina University

Office manager vs executive assistant demographics

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

	Office Manager	Executive Assistant
Average age	47	49
Gender ratio	Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	10%

Differences between office manager and executive assistant duties and responsibilities

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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Executive assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain AVP calendar and schedule using independent judgment.
Manage and review WinStar (KRONOS) time clock hours for hourly union employees.
Organize and manage administrative, audio/visual (WebEx, GoToMeeting), and catering of department meetings.
Manage the scope of accounting processes including billing, bookkeeping and expense data management with strong oversight of A/R and A/P.
Create and manage executive presentations using Visio and PowerPoint.
Compile, manage and organize travel and expense reports processing and submitting reports using PeopleSoft for reimbursement.

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Office manager vs executive assistant skills

Common office manager skills

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

Common executive assistant skills

PowerPoint, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Phone Calls, 6%
Calendar Management, 6%
Administrative Tasks, 3%
Financial Reports, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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