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Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Salary
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive earn a median $47,540 a year in the U.S., with 1,706,790 jobs (May 2025).
- Median wage
- $47,540 a year
- Employment
- 1,706,790
- Excludes self-employed
- Projected growth
- -6.0%
- 2025 to 2035
- Openings per year
- 163,900
- Average, including replacements
Pay range nationally
The middle half of workers earn between the 25th and 75th percentile (shaded)
- Median (50%)
- $47,540 · $22.86 an hour
- Mean (average)
- $49,350 · $23.73 an hour (estimate error ±0.3%)
- 10th percentile
- $33,280 · $16.00 an hour
- 25th percentile
- $38,830 · $18.67 an hour
- 75th percentile
- $58,000 · $27.89 an hour
- 90th percentile
- $66,350 · $31.90 an hour
- Employment
- 1,706,790 (estimate error ±0.4%)
What they do
Standard Occupational Classification definition
Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers. Excludes legal, medical, and executive secretaries (43-6011 through 43-6013).
Job outlook
BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035
- Jobs in 2025
- 1.89 million
- Projected for 2035
- 1.78 million
- Change
- -114,100 (-6.0%)
- Openings each year
- 163,900
- Typical education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 1.5%
Occupational Outlook Handbook (duties, how to become one, work environment)
Highest paying states
Median wage for this occupation
Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.
| # | State | Median wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $59,910 | 11,800 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $57,940 | 37,750 |
| 3 | Washington | $57,330 | 31,710 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $57,210 | 22,650 |
| 5 | California | $55,400 | 158,630 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $52,140 | 5,200 |
| 7 | Oregon | $51,740 | 23,150 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $51,400 | 31,330 |
| 9 | Hawaii | $50,830 | 7,020 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $50,260 | 65,960 |
States with the most jobs
Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.
| State | Employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| California | 158,630 | $55,400 |
| Texas | 149,650 | $45,140 |
| New York | 122,490 | $49,600 |
| Florida | 104,000 | $45,900 |
| Illinois | 74,280 | $48,310 |
| New Jersey | 65,960 | $50,260 |
| Pennsylvania | 65,310 | $46,270 |
| Maryland | 54,890 | $48,680 |
| Ohio | 54,790 | $46,230 |
| Alabama | 45,050 | $41,630 |
Highest paying metro areas
Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation
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| # | Metro area | Median wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Haven, CT | $63,800 | 4,780 |
| 2 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $62,940 | 7,970 |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $62,110 | 20,270 |
| 4 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $60,230 | 15,780 |
| 5 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $59,510 | 830 |
| 6 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $59,330 | 28,540 |
| 7 | Napa, CA | $58,810 | 630 |
| 8 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $57,720 | 2,150 |
| 9 | Longview-Kelso, WA | $57,580 | 430 |
| 10 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $57,510 | 960 |
| 11 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $57,440 | 5,800 |
| 12 | Salinas, CA | $57,340 | 1,500 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.
| Metro area | Employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 122,680 | $51,440 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 58,800 | $53,550 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 50,190 | $50,440 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 37,550 | $47,450 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 37,010 | $53,660 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 33,710 | $46,750 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 33,380 | $47,450 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 32,850 | $48,850 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 29,780 | $49,220 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 28,540 | $59,330 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 25,280 | $45,270 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 22,010 | $48,800 |
Visa filings for this occupation
Wages employers offered on Department of Labor filings
- H-1B (FY 2026 through Q3)2 certified filingsMedian offered wage Not reported
- PERM green card (FY 2026 through Q3)280 certified filingsMedian offered wage $46,463
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive pay by state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Related occupations
Frequently asked questions
- How much do secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive make?
- The median wage for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive in the U.S. is $47,540 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $38,830 and $58,000.
- Which state pays secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive the most?
- District of Columbia has the highest median wage for this occupation at $59,910 a year.
- What is the job outlook for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive?
- BLS projects employment to decline 6.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 163,900 openings each year on average.
- What education do secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive need?
- The typical entry-level education is: high school diploma or equivalent.