Office worker vs administrative office specialist

The differences between office workers and administrative office specialists 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 worker and an administrative office specialist. Additionally, an office worker has an average salary of $41,003, which is higher than the $35,177 average annual salary of an administrative office specialist.

The top three skills for an office worker include data entry, administrative tasks and powerpoint. The most important skills for an administrative office specialist are customer service, data entry, and word processing.

Office worker vs administrative office specialist overview

	Office Worker	Administrative Office Specialist
Yearly salary	$41,003	$35,177
Hourly rate	$19.71	$16.91
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	84,397	96,945
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	47	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office worker do?

An office worker is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of the business. Office workers assist in receiving calls to respond to the clients' inquiries and concerns, as well as welcoming visitors, verifying their appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department for their business needs. They also do data processing, sorting mail, and filing documents for easy retrieval and reference, especially during meetings and company activities.

What does an administrative office specialist do?

An administrative office specialist helps offices to run efficiently and smoothly by performing clerical support tasks. Their responsibilities often include preparing and processing documents, arranging meetings and appointments, monitoring the budgets and expenditures, answering calls and correspondence, handling the inventory and procurement of office supplies, and developing strategies to optimize office operations. They may also address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, as an administrative office specialist, it is essential to coordinate staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Office worker vs administrative office specialist salary

Office workers and administrative office specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Worker	Administrative Office Specialist
Average salary	$41,003	$35,177
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $71,000	Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Fred Hutch	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Education	Technology

Differences between office worker and administrative office specialist education

There are a few differences between an office worker and an administrative office specialist in terms of educational background:

	Office Worker	Administrative Office Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Office worker vs administrative office specialist demographics

Here are the differences between office workers' and administrative office specialists' demographics:

	Office Worker	Administrative Office Specialist
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8%	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 4.0% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office worker and administrative office specialist duties and responsibilities

Office worker example responsibilities.

Manage daily office operations maintaining accurate records for payroll and other checks.
Train in installing windows, showers and glass into homes and commercial businesses.
Used QuickBooks to accurately compute and produce invoices to be mail to various customer companies.
Serve as office secretary, organizing files, answering phones, delivering payroll and deposits, organize incoming mail and invoices.
Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents.

Administrative office specialist example responsibilities.

Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Develop PowerPoint presentations for seminars and workshops.
Prepare briefings for senior level management using Microsoft PowerPoint.
Prepare bi-weekly payroll reports and special cost analyses and forecasting.
Coordinate accessibility into main office building along with identification badge and process direct deposit via state guidelines for payroll.
Coordinate travel arrangements in DTS; schedule mode of transportation, prepare trip folders, arrange lodging reservations and develop itineraries.

Office worker vs administrative office specialist skills

Common office worker skills

Data Entry, 28%
Administrative Tasks, 22%
PowerPoint, 18%
Payroll, 16%
Customer Service, 4%
Telephone Calls, 2%

Common administrative office specialist skills

Customer Service, 27%
Data Entry, 8%
Word Processing, 6%
Payroll, 3%
PowerPoint, 3%
Phone Calls, 3%

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Office Worker vs Administrative Office Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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