Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between receptionists and administrative receptionists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a receptionist and an administrative receptionist. Additionally, an administrative receptionist has an average salary of $31,502, which is higher than the $30,571 average annual salary of a receptionist.
The top three skills for a receptionist include patients, phone calls and customer service. The most important skills for an administrative receptionist are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Yearly salary | $30,571 | $31,502 |
| Hourly rate | $14.70 | $15.15 |
| Growth rate | - | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 65,671 | 91,892 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Receptionists are employees assigned at the entrances or lobbies of offices. They welcome guests, check identification, issue visitor badges, attend to questions or inquiries, and direct guests to where they are supposed to go. They also receive general mail or packages, answer calls, and manage schedules. Receptionists perform various clerical or administrative functions as assigned by their supervisors. They should have good client relations skills.
An administrative receptionist is responsible for performing administrative tasks, handling visitors' inquiries and concerns, verifying appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department, as well as handling and routing calls. Administrative receptionists also keep records of the staff meeting and executive conference, including company and promotional events. They receive packages and mail, sort documents, manage office supply inventories, create incident reports, and report suspicious guests within the premises. An administrative receptionist must have excellent communication and customer service skills, especially on resolving and escalating complaints.
Receptionists and administrative receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Average salary | $30,571 | $31,502 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | Gensler | Beacon Hill Staffing Group |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a receptionist and an administrative receptionist in terms of educational background:
| Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between receptionists' and administrative receptionists' demographics:
| Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 8.4% Female, 91.6% | Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |