Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for medical secretaries and 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 $46,800 ≈ $23/hr
National median salary $45,930
Total employment 961,610 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +4.2% Faster than average
Annual openings 85,900 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 850,000 → 885,300 (+35,300)
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. Washington$57,300
  2. California$56,350
  3. Massachusetts$52,910
  4. District of Columbia$52,770
  5. Minnesota$52,770

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Mississippi$38,510
  2. Louisiana$39,230
  3. Alabama$39,460
  4. Arkansas$39,610
  5. Oklahoma$40,180
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Washington $57,300 $58,100 $28 +22.4% 10,960
2 California $56,350 $54,490 $27 +20.4% 115,050
3 Massachusetts $52,910 $50,290 $25 +13.1% 22,210
4 District of Columbia $52,770 $49,180 $25 +12.8% 1,930
5 Minnesota $52,770 $50,030 $25 +12.8% 16,860
6 Oregon $52,640 $50,130 $25 +12.5% 16,840
7 Connecticut $51,530 $48,500 $25 +10.1% 6,480
8 New Jersey $50,630 $48,660 $24 +8.2% 20,980
9 Hawaii $50,230 $49,920 $24 +7.3% 2,160
10 Vermont $49,870 $48,200 $24 +6.6% 2,390
11 Rhode Island $49,820 $46,860 $24 +6.5% 2,350
12 New York $49,540 $47,710 $24 +5.9% 57,720
13 Maryland $49,350 $47,850 $24 +5.4% 17,290
14 Wisconsin $49,170 $48,380 $24 +5.1% 7,760
15 New Hampshire $49,080 $48,410 $24 +4.9% 3,680

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 517 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $69,350 $68,750 6,340
2 Napa, CA $61,830 $63,500 510
3 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $61,330 $64,580 13,660
4 Vallejo, CA $61,220 $63,880 990
5 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $60,350 $60,670 6,420
6 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $60,240 $60,980 1,190
7 Longview-Kelso, WA $58,830 $56,320 50
8 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $57,730 $57,130 7,710
9 Bellingham, WA $55,670 $54,520 230
10 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $54,740 $55,180 840

Pay by Industry

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

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Credit Intermediation and Related Activities $77,410 $70,240
2 Nondepository Credit Intermediation $77,410 $70,260
3 Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation $77,410 $70,260
4 Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals, State Government Owned $62,380 $63,440 1,390
5 Grantmaking and Giving Services $57,350 $56,090 80
6 Scientific Research and Development Services $56,440 $57,210 1,540
7 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences $56,440 $57,210 1,540
8 Educational Services, Local Government Owned $54,800 $50,800 510
9 Junior Colleges, Local Government Owned $53,980 $52,850 40
10 Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services $52,920 $50,660 70
11 Educational Services, Privately Owned $52,780 $54,420 5,930
12 Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Privately Owned $52,780 $54,790 5,710

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
24,407
$10-20k
7,775
$20-30k
13,992
$30-40k
31,379
$40-50k
33,709
$50-60k
15,587
$60-70k
8,085
$70-80k
2,672
$80-90k
1,711
$90-100k
638
$100-110k
1,593
$110-120k
405
$120-130k
138
$130-140k
252
$140-150k
418
$150-160k
210
$160-170k
54
$200k+
481

Pay by age band

16-24
$27,260
25-34
$33,637
35-44
$44,057
45-54
$41,909
55-64
$39,237
65+
$25,829

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$29,946
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$38,111
Bachelors Degree
$40,103
Associates Degree
$40,753
Some college, but less than 1 year
$36,415
Masters Degree
$49,556
GED or alternative credential
$43,054
No schooling completed
$23,760
Grade 11
$30,927
Professional degree
$62,253
Grade 10
$8,351
Doctorate degree
$30,135
12th grade - no diploma
$25,675
Grade 9
$20,213
Grade 6
$42,820

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
103,118 · $45,573
Part-time
16,303 · $29,753

Race / ethnicity

White
$34,108
Black
$39,489
Two or More Races
$37,594
Other
$40,664
Asian
$60,752
American Indian
$46,903
Alaska Native
$40,883
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$55,739
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$42,820

Top fields of study

Psychology
$41,242
Business Management And Administration
$38,614
Health And Medical Administrative Services
$44,246
General Business
$49,783
Communications
$53,764
Biology
$58,587
General Education
$15,617
Marketing And Marketing Research
$66,179

Frequently Asked Questions

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

The median medical secretaries and administrative assistants salary in the United States is $45,930 per year (mean $46,800), and about 80% earn between $35,930 and $60,530.

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

Roughly $23 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $46,800 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays medical secretaries and administrative assistants the most?

Washington has the highest average pay for medical secretaries and administrative assistants at $57,300 per year (median $58,100).

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

Employment is projected to change +4.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 85,900 openings per year.