Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistantss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $79,140 ≈ $38/hr
National median salary $76,590
Total employment 459,910 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -1.6% Decline
Annual openings 50,000 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 502,800 → 494,900 (-7,900)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. California$92,220
  2. District of Columbia$91,590
  3. New Jersey$89,380
  4. Connecticut$87,360
  5. Massachusetts$87,060

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Louisiana$56,100
  2. South Dakota$56,200
  3. Wyoming$56,300
  4. Arkansas$57,360
  5. Mississippi$59,260
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 California $92,220 $89,000 $44 +16.5% 59,640
2 District of Columbia $91,590 $90,850 $44 +15.7% 4,560
3 New Jersey $89,380 $89,520 $43 +12.9% 11,690
4 Connecticut $87,360 $82,520 $42 +10.4% 6,490
5 Massachusetts $87,060 $82,650 $42 +10% 14,820
6 New York $86,750 $80,640 $42 +9.6% 88,890
7 Virginia $83,140 $80,330 $40 +5.1% 10,360
8 Hawaii $82,370 $80,710 $40 +4.1% 1,440
9 Washington $82,020 $79,250 $39 +3.6% 11,560
10 Maryland $80,770 $78,540 $39 +2.1% 13,960
11 Minnesota $79,810 $78,470 $38 +0.8% 7,970
12 Delaware $78,240 $78,920 $38 -1.1% 1,320
13 Oregon $78,150 $75,480 $38 -1.3% 6,000
14 Rhode Island $77,650 $77,820 $37 -1.9% 950
15 Illinois $76,610 $74,390 $37 -3.2% 14,900

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 512 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $106,220 $113,320 5,300
2 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $105,190 $108,260 11,250
3 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT $100,930 $101,010 1,710
4 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $92,240 $94,460 490
5 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $90,320 $90,110 12,960
6 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $87,910 $89,120 3,530
7 Vallejo, CA $86,190 $88,610 230
8 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $85,260 $89,990 11,290
9 Napa, CA $84,640 $89,520 180
10 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $84,540 $87,470 4,510

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing executive secretaries and executive administrative assistantss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Taxi and Limousine Service $124,550 $111,270 210
2 Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services $106,070 $108,450 670
3 Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services $106,070 $108,450 670
4 Pipeline Transportation $103,080 $89,960 310
5 Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas $103,080 $89,630 290
6 Other Investment Pools and Funds $102,610 $105,080 610
7 Software Publishers $102,210 $102,370 2,680
8 Monetary Authorities-Central Bank $101,370 $101,280 170
9 Monetary Authorities-Central Bank $101,370 $101,280 170
10 Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing $100,730 $100,450 580
11 Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles $98,930 $101,500 720
12 Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services $98,650 $99,320 1,840

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
56,410
$10-20k
8,753
$20-30k
10,724
$30-40k
21,140
$40-50k
31,789
$50-60k
35,845
$60-70k
41,543
$70-80k
38,365
$80-90k
29,997
$90-100k
14,292
$100-110k
13,273
$110-120k
7,900
$120-130k
5,331
$130-140k
4,886
$140-150k
2,564
$150-160k
1,993
$160-170k
768
$170-180k
421
$180-190k
1,517
$190-200k
908
$200k+
2,689

Pay by age band

16-24
$39,878
25-34
$55,002
35-44
$65,647
45-54
$72,851
55-64
$63,442
65+
$35,202

Education level

Bachelors Degree
$67,030
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$54,948
Regular high school diploma
$50,835
Associates Degree
$55,933
Some college, but less than 1 year
$51,326
Masters Degree
$76,616
GED or alternative credential
$40,547
Professional degree
$64,522
Doctorate degree
$112,274
No schooling completed
$58,047
12th grade - no diploma
$39,829
Grade 10
$48,500
Grade 11
$49,920
Grade 8
Grade 9
Grade 7
$20,186

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
251,455 · $73,868
Part-time
20,998 · $30,032

Race / ethnicity

White
$59,959
Two or More Races
$54,342
Black
$59,548
Other
$56,222
Asian
$70,957
American Indian
$54,477
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$67,491
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$74,425
Alaska Native
$57,995

Top fields of study

Business Management And Administration
$68,441
Communications
$69,862
Psychology
$72,086
Marketing And Marketing Research
$69,441
General Business
$64,088
English Language And Literature
$67,750
Political Science And Government
$95,284
History
$61,089

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants make in the U.S.?

The median executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants salary in the United States is $76,590 per year (mean $79,140), and about 80% earn between $50,560 and $109,850.

How much do executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants make per hour?

Roughly $38 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $79,140 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants the most?

California has the highest average pay for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants at $92,220 per year (median $89,000).

What is the job outlook for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants?

Employment is projected to change -1.6% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 50,000 openings per year.