Secretarial substitute vs office secretary

The differences between secretarial substitutes and office secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a secretarial substitute and an office secretary. Additionally, an office secretary has an average salary of $33,118, which is higher than the $29,860 average annual salary of a secretarial substitute.

The top three skills for a secretarial substitute include office equipment, word processing and telephone calls. The most important skills for an office secretary are data entry, phone calls, and telephone calls.

Secretarial substitute vs office secretary overview

	Secretarial Substitute	Office Secretary
Yearly salary	$29,860	$33,118
Hourly rate	$14.36	$15.92
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	6,810	87,771
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

Secretarial substitute vs office secretary salary

Secretarial substitutes and office secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Secretarial Substitute	Office Secretary
Average salary	$29,860	$33,118
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $38,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Vallejo, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	Insurance	Telecommunication

Differences between secretarial substitute and office secretary education

There are a few differences between a secretarial substitute and an office secretary in terms of educational background:

	Secretarial Substitute	Office Secretary
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

Secretarial substitute vs office secretary demographics

Here are the differences between secretarial substitutes' and office secretaries' demographics:

	Secretarial Substitute	Office Secretary
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 4.5% Female, 95.5%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between secretarial substitute and office secretary duties and responsibilities

Secretarial substitute example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Correspond with PTO members and families.
Organize events, meetings for PTO.
Process payroll and organize leave forms by pay period.
Perform a wide variety of clerical duties including: typing, proofreading, filing and recording information.
Perform data entry in various offices including, but not limit to, payroll and tax offices.

Office secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Research and keep updated on Medicare and Medicaid benefits, qualification requirements, and the legal and financial effects of options.
Determine client eligibility for Medicaid transportation.
Process and submit payroll information and invoices.
Maintain departmental inventory, purchasing/travel paperwork, and process payroll.
Answer customer phone calls-Record daily business transactions-Manage QuickBooks and bank accounts-Enter parts invoices and take inventory

Secretarial substitute vs office secretary skills

Common secretarial substitute skills

Office Equipment, 21%
Word Processing, 14%
Telephone Calls, 13%
Proofreading, 9%
Payroll, 5%
Office Machines, 5%

Common office secretary skills

Data Entry, 12%
Phone Calls, 11%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Scheduling Appointments, 7%
Office Procedures, 7%
Payroll, 6%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Secretarial Substitute
Secretarial Substitute vs Office Secretary

Updated January 8, 2025

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