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The differences between secretaries and assistant 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 secretary and an assistant secretary. Additionally, an assistant secretary has an average salary of $107,366, which is higher than the $36,442 average annual salary of a secretary.
The top three skills for a secretary include customer service, telephone calls and payroll. The most important skills for an assistant secretary are telephone calls, payroll, and scheduling appointments.
| Secretary | Assistant Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $36,442 | $107,366 |
| Hourly rate | $17.52 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 69,315 | 52,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department. They manage schedules and appointments, often handling the calendar in the office. They are also responsible for keeping files organized, whether physical or digital copies. During office meetings, secretaries are in charge of documenting the minutes of the meeting and highlighting the action steps that need to be taken. They may also be assigned to check on concerned departments who need to present deliverables in the next office meeting.
An assistant secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of various departments and management personnel and ensure the efficiency of business functions. Assistant secretaries usually assist in business communications, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, reaching out to existing clients to schedule appointments, welcoming guests on the office, and routing calls to the appropriate department. They also handle data entry procedures, updating customer information on the database, as well as creating reports on business and financial transactions.
Secretaries and assistant secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Secretary | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average salary | $36,442 | $107,366 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $51,000 | Between $38,000 And $302,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith | Elanco |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a secretary and an assistant secretary in terms of educational background:
| Secretary | Assistant Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between secretaries' and assistant secretaries' demographics:
| Secretary | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% | Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |