Program administrator vs office administrator

The differences between program administrators 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 a program administrator and an office administrator. Additionally, a program administrator has an average salary of $50,715, which is higher than the $37,423 average annual salary of an office administrator.

The top three skills for a program administrator include customer service, oversight and patients. The most important skills for an office administrator are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Program administrator vs office administrator overview

	Program Administrator	Office Administrator
Yearly salary	$50,715	$37,423
Hourly rate	$24.38	$17.99
Growth rate	5%	-5%
Number of jobs	119,898	118,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	43	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a program administrator do?

Program administrators are responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating their organization's program or service. Their duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the industry they work at, such as educational, community, and social services. Among these duties are selecting and supervising the staff to manage a certain program or project, managing the program's budget, and evaluating the success of a program. To become successful in this role, a program administrator must have in-depth knowledge of project management disciplines, leadership skills, and decision-making and problem-solving skills.

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.

Program administrator vs office administrator salary

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

	Program Administrator	Office Administrator
Average salary	$50,715	$37,423
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $73,000	Between $28,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Urban Honolulu, HI	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Alaska
Best paying company	Meta	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between program administrator and office administrator education

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

	Program Administrator	Office Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Western Carolina University

Program administrator vs office administrator demographics

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

	Program Administrator	Office Administrator
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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	9%	6%

Differences between program administrator and office administrator duties and responsibilities

Program administrator example responsibilities.

Manage monetary, laptop and training supports for members living with HIV.
Manage overall document inventory and wiki updates via SharePoint.
Manage CRM and SharePoint systems for online recruiting technology company.
Manage co-op vendor and provide overall program direction for Toyota dealers and regional offices nationwide.
Develop and implement administrative procedures for new mental health management unit providing day services to elderly patients.
Invoice clients using QuickBooks software.

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.

Program administrator vs office administrator skills

Common program administrator skills

Customer Service, 7%
Oversight, 7%
Patients, 6%
Project Management, 6%
PowerPoint, 4%
Client Facing, 4%

Common office administrator skills

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

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Program Administrator vs Office Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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