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The differences between staff assistants and contract 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 staff assistant and a contract administrative assistant. Additionally, a staff assistant has an average salary of $41,778, which is higher than the $39,073 average annual salary of a contract administrative assistant.
The top three skills for a staff assistant include customer service, patients and data entry. The most important skills for a contract administrative assistant are data entry, purchase orders, and powerpoint.
| Staff Assistant | Contract Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $41,778 | $39,073 |
| Hourly rate | $20.09 | $18.79 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 126,202 | 64,677 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A staff assistant is a company employee who is tasked to support and help staff members to adequately fill their roles and assuring that the organization is running efficiently. Working under an administrative supervisor, an assistant's tasks include answering phone calls, scheduling meetings or appointments, and booking the necessary travels. Moreover, an assistant should have excellent skills in written and verbal communication and is highly organized with minimal supervision. An assistant may be able to work in a wide variety of settings, which includes healthcare facilities and government offices.
A contract administrative assistant works on a contractual basis at offices where they are in charge of performing support tasks. Among their responsibilities include answering calls and correspondence, filing and organizing documents, coordinating with different departments, arranging appointments and schedules, preparing and processing files, and running errands as needed. They may also monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, a contract administrative assistant must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Staff assistants and contract administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Assistant | Contract Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $41,778 | $39,073 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $63,000 | Between $31,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bridgewater, MA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Massasoit Community College | Minnesota State Fair |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a staff assistant and a contract administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Staff Assistant | Contract Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between staff assistants' and contract administrative assistants' demographics:
| Staff Assistant | Contract Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6% | Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |