Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executives across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- District of Columbia$61,270
- Connecticut$58,390
- Massachusetts$58,380
- Washington$58,130
- California$57,710
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- Mississippi$39,590
- Arkansas$39,890
- Louisiana$40,370
- Oklahoma$41,070
- West Virginia$41,990
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $61,270 | $59,910 | $29 | +24.2% | 11,800 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $58,390 | $57,210 | $28 | +18.3% | 22,650 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $58,380 | $57,940 | $28 | +18.3% | 37,750 |
| 4 | Washington | $58,130 | $57,330 | $28 | +17.8% | 31,710 |
| 5 | California | $57,710 | $55,400 | $28 | +16.9% | 158,630 |
| 6 | Oregon | $54,070 | $51,740 | $26 | +9.6% | 23,150 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $53,790 | $52,140 | $26 | +9% | 5,200 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $52,910 | $50,260 | $25 | +7.2% | 65,960 |
| 9 | Hawaii | $52,870 | $50,830 | $25 | +7.1% | 7,020 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $52,690 | $51,400 | $25 | +6.8% | 31,330 |
| 11 | Illinois | $52,070 | $48,310 | $25 | +5.5% | 74,280 |
| 12 | New York | $51,490 | $49,600 | $25 | +4.3% | 122,490 |
| 13 | Maine | $51,220 | $49,820 | $25 | +3.8% | 6,740 |
| 14 | Maryland | $50,790 | $48,680 | $24 | +2.9% | 54,890 |
| 15 | Colorado | $50,700 | $48,690 | $24 | +2.7% | 29,120 |
| 16 | Vermont | $50,160 | $48,920 | $24 | +1.6% | 3,360 |
| 17 | Arizona | $50,130 | $47,940 | $24 | +1.6% | 31,220 |
| 18 | Virginia | $49,720 | $47,620 | $24 | +0.7% | 31,580 |
| 19 | Alaska | $49,510 | $48,530 | $24 | +0.3% | 5,390 |
| 20 | Delaware | $49,140 | $47,970 | $24 | -0.4% | 6,320 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $49,000 | $48,080 | $24 | -0.7% | 9,050 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $48,830 | $47,710 | $23 | -1.1% | 28,100 |
| 23 | Florida | $48,730 | $45,900 | $23 | -1.3% | 104,000 |
| 24 | Nevada | $48,160 | $46,570 | $23 | -2.4% | 16,790 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $47,820 | $46,760 | $23 | -3.1% | 16,240 |
| 26 | Michigan | $47,710 | $46,020 | $23 | -3.3% | 40,830 |
| 27 | Utah | $47,530 | $47,050 | $23 | -3.7% | 14,870 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $47,420 | $47,480 | $23 | -3.9% | 5,800 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $47,380 | $46,450 | $23 | -4% | 25,430 |
| 30 | Ohio | $47,360 | $46,230 | $23 | -4% | 54,790 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $46,570 | $46,270 | $22 | -5.6% | 65,310 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $46,200 | $45,790 | $22 | -6.4% | 43,690 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $46,140 | $45,810 | $22 | -6.5% | 34,580 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $45,890 | $45,450 | $22 | -7% | 2,250 |
| 35 | Texas | $45,850 | $45,140 | $22 | -7.1% | 149,650 |
| 36 | Iowa | $45,770 | $45,150 | $22 | -7.3% | 12,830 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $45,010 | $44,880 | $22 | -8.8% | 30,180 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $44,840 | $44,200 | $22 | -9.1% | 18,420 |
| 39 | Indiana | $44,770 | $44,270 | $22 | -9.3% | 20,100 |
| 40 | Missouri | $44,750 | $43,540 | $22 | -9.3% | 33,180 |
| 41 | Idaho | $43,920 | $43,710 | $21 | -11% | 7,570 |
| 42 | Montana | $43,420 | $43,940 | $21 | -12% | 4,520 |
| 43 | Georgia | $43,340 | $41,600 | $21 | -12.2% | 44,430 |
| 44 | Kansas | $43,340 | $42,270 | $21 | -12.2% | 32,120 |
| 45 | Alabama | $43,060 | $41,630 | $21 | -12.7% | 45,050 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $42,030 | $41,700 | $20 | -14.8% | 6,120 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $41,990 | $40,370 | $20 | -14.9% | 8,820 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $41,070 | $39,660 | $20 | -16.8% | 20,120 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $40,370 | $38,790 | $19 | -18.2% | 28,040 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $39,890 | $37,630 | $19 | -19.2% | 8,590 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $39,590 | $37,340 | $19 | -19.8% | 14,720 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 521 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Haven, CT | $63,800 | $63,320 | 4,780 |
| 2 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $62,940 | $66,410 | 7,970 |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $62,110 | $66,110 | 20,270 |
| 4 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $60,230 | $61,610 | 15,780 |
| 5 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $59,510 | $60,090 | 830 |
| 6 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $59,330 | $59,390 | 28,540 |
| 7 | Napa, CA | $58,810 | $59,840 | 630 |
| 8 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $57,720 | $59,530 | 2,150 |
| 9 | Longview-Kelso, WA | $57,580 | $55,970 | 430 |
| 10 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $57,510 | $58,460 | 960 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executives (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Postal Service (Federal Government) | $76,010 | $72,960 | 610 |
| 2 | Postal Service (Federal Government) | $76,010 | $72,960 | 610 |
| 3 | Telecommunications | $70,710 | $67,580 | 3,000 |
| 4 | Monetary Authorities-Central Bank | $67,220 | $69,800 | 160 |
| 5 | Monetary Authorities-Central Bank | $67,220 | $69,800 | 160 |
| 6 | Nuclear Electric Power Generation | $64,850 | $67,610 | 190 |
| 7 | Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation | $63,390 | $64,870 | 600 |
| 8 | Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas | $63,240 | $60,620 | 300 |
| 9 | Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | $62,590 | $62,870 | 3,160 |
| 10 | Hydroelectric Power Generation | $62,400 | $60,230 | 70 |
| 11 | Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | $62,320 | $63,810 | 7,160 |
| 12 | Software Publishers | $62,230 | $58,470 | 1,930 |
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
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive make in the U.S.?
The median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive salary in the United States is $47,540 per year (mean $49,350), and about 80% earn between $33,280 and $66,350.
How much do secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive make per hour?
Roughly $24 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $49,350 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive the most?
District of Columbia has the highest average pay for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive at $61,270 per year (median $59,910).
What is the job outlook for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive?
Employment is projected to change -1.6% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 202,800 openings per year.