Office worker vs office administrator

The differences between office workers 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 worker and an office administrator. Additionally, an office worker has an average salary of $41,003, which is higher than the $37,423 average annual salary of an office administrator.

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

Office worker vs office administrator overview

	Office Worker	Office Administrator
Yearly salary	$41,003	$37,423
Hourly rate	$19.71	$17.99
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	84,397	118,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	47	47
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 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 worker vs office administrator salary

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

	Office Worker	Office Administrator
Average salary	$41,003	$37,423
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $71,000	Between $28,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Fred Hutch	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Education	Government

Differences between office worker and office administrator education

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

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

Office worker vs office administrator demographics

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

	Office Worker	Office Administrator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
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, 10.1% 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 worker and office administrator 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.

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.

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Office worker vs office administrator skills

Common office worker skills

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

Common office administrator skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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