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The differences between project assistants and administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a project assistant and an administrative assistant. Additionally, a project assistant has an average salary of $38,564, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for a project assistant include data entry, powerpoint and customer service. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Project Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $38,564 | $34,945 |
| Hourly rate | $18.54 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 59,664 | 65,769 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A project assistant's role mainly revolves around assisting a project manager. The responsibilities may vary upon the industry or organization. Still, most of them will be administrative tasks such as preparing reports and documentation, responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, and coordinating with various offices and personnel. Furthermore, a Project Assistant must also ensure the department's efficient workflow, proper utilization of budget, review documentation and schedules, attend meetings, and maintain an information database.
Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.
Project assistants and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $38,564 | $34,945 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $57,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | AstraZeneca | Westfield State University |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a project assistant and an administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Project Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between project assistants' and administrative assistants' demographics:
| Project Assistant | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |