Administrative Assistant vs Executive Assistant: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Administrative Assistant vs Executive Assistant: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 43-6014 and 43-6011). The national median annual wage is $47,540 for administrative assistants and $76,590 for executive assistants (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change -6.0% for administrative assistants and +0.0% for executive assistants from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent vs High school diploma or equivalent. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Administrative AssistantSOC 43-6014 | Executive AssistantSOC 43-6011 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $47,540 | $76,590 | Executive Assistant |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 1,706,790 | 459,910 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | -6.0% | +0.0% | Executive Assistant |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | -114,100 jobs | -100 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 163,900 a year | 43,300 a year | Administrative Assistant |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | High school diploma or equivalent | High school diploma or equivalent | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | Less than 5 years | Administrative Assistant |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | Short-term on-the-job training | None | Not ranked |
| Telework available (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | 25.2% | 39.5% | Executive Assistant |
| No prior work experience required (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | 34.7% | 12.8% | Administrative Assistant |
| Most common minimum education (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS · A different metric from BLS typical entry-level education. | High school diploma (79.6%) | High school diploma (57.9%) | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.14 | 2.84 | Executive Assistant |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.16 | 4.07 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.78 | 4.26 | Executive Assistant |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Dependability, Attention to Detail, Cooperation | Dependability, Attention to Detail, Cooperation | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- starting without related work experience matters (None vs Less than 5 years)
- starting without prior experience matters (34.7% vs 12.8%)
- higher median pay matters most ($76,590 vs $47,540)
- faster projected national growth matters (+0.0% vs -6.0%)
- more telework availability matters (39.5% vs 25.2%)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (2.84 vs 3.14)
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.26 vs 3.78)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 75% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Management of Material Resources (+0.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Personnel Resources (+0.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operations Analysis (+0.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Learning Strategies (+1.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Systems Evaluation (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Persuasion (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Service Orientation (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Administrative Assistant
- Answer telephones and give information to callers, take messages, or transfer calls to appropriate individuals.
- Greet visitors or callers and handle their inquiries or direct them to the appropriate persons according to their needs.
- Create, maintain, and enter information into databases.
- Use computers for various applications, such as database management or word processing.
Executive Assistant
- Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
- Make travel arrangements for executives.
- Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
- Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Administrative Assistant
- Educational services; state, local, and private (19.8% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (10.1% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (10.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
Executive Assistant
- Educational services; state, local, and private (15.7% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (14.2% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (12.2% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Administrative Assistant → Executive Assistant: skills to build: Learning Strategies, Systems Evaluation, Persuasion. Careers after Administrative Assistant
- Executive Assistant → Administrative Assistant: skills to build: no skill rated half a point higher.
Go deeper
Administrative Assistant career hub · Administrative Assistant salary · Administrative Assistant how to become · Administrative Assistant career change · Executive Assistant career hub · Executive Assistant salary · Executive Assistant how to become
Common questions
Which pays more, Administrative Assistant or Executive Assistant?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 43-6014 and 43-6011). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “administrative assistant vs executive assistant salary”, “executive assistant vs administrative assistant salary” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).