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The differences between office receptionists 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 receptionist and an office assistant. Additionally, an office receptionist has an average salary of $33,554, which is higher than the $31,517 average annual salary of an office assistant.
The top three skills for an office receptionist include patients, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for an office assistant are data entry, patients, and customer service.
| Office Receptionist | Office Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $33,554 | $31,517 |
| Hourly rate | $16.13 | $15.15 |
| Growth rate | - | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 80,143 | 103,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An office receptionist, or administrative assistant, performs various administrative tasks for an organization. These tasks may include answering phone calls, providing the public and customers with information, and warmly welcoming, greeting, and directing visitors or guests accordingly. Additionally, an office receptionist is responsible for maintaining security by issuing visitor badges, monitoring logbooks, and following procedures. Administrative assistants are also responsible for preparing and processing travel vouchers and other documents. Some employers prefer someone with a college or bachelor's degree, telephone skills, and excellent communication 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 receptionists and office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Receptionist | Office Assistant | |
| Average salary | $33,554 | $31,517 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $41,000 | Between $24,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Dairy Farmers of America | Analysis Group |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Government |
There are a few differences between an office receptionist and an office assistant in terms of educational background:
| Office Receptionist | Office Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between office receptionists' and office assistants' demographics:
| Office Receptionist | Office Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 9.5% Female, 90.5% | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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% |