Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive: salary, outlook & degrees
Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.
Middle half $38,830–$58,000. 1,706,790 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
39% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $43,076.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 163,900 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Some preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 8% | Psychology |
| Business Management And Administration | 8% | Business Administration |
| General Business | 5% | Business |
| Communications | 4% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Marketing And Marketing Research | 4% | Marketing · Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations |
| English Language And Literature | 4% | English |
| Criminal Justice And Fire Protection | 3% | Criminal Justice · Security / Homeland Security |
| Biology | 3% | Biology |
| Political Science And Government | 3% | Political Science |
| Sociology | 2% | Sociology |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $59,910 |
| Massachusetts | $57,940 |
| Washington | $57,330 |
| Connecticut | $57,210 |
| California | $55,400 |
| Rhode Island | $52,140 |
| Oregon | $51,740 |
| Minnesota | $51,400 |
| Hawaii | $50,830 |
| New Jersey | $50,260 |
| Maine | $49,820 |
| New York | $49,600 |
| Vermont | $48,920 |
| Colorado | $48,690 |
| Maryland | $48,680 |
| Alaska | $48,530 |
| Illinois | $48,310 |
| New Hampshire | $48,080 |
| Delaware | $47,970 |
| Arizona | $47,940 |
| Wisconsin | $47,710 |
| Virginia | $47,620 |
| North Dakota | $47,480 |
| Utah | $47,050 |
| Nebraska | $46,760 |
| Nevada | $46,570 |
| New Mexico | $46,450 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,270 |
| Ohio | $46,230 |
| Michigan | $46,020 |
| Florida | $45,900 |
| Tennessee | $45,810 |
| North Carolina | $45,790 |
| Wyoming | $45,450 |
| Iowa | $45,150 |
| Texas | $45,140 |
| South Carolina | $44,880 |
| Indiana | $44,270 |
| Kentucky | $44,200 |
| VI | $44,040 |
| Montana | $43,940 |
| Idaho | $43,710 |
| Missouri | $43,540 |
| Kansas | $42,270 |
| South Dakota | $41,700 |
| Alabama | $41,630 |
| Georgia | $41,600 |
| West Virginia | $40,370 |
| Oklahoma | $39,660 |
| Louisiana | $38,790 |
| Arkansas | $37,630 |
| Mississippi | $37,340 |
| GU | $36,030 |
| PR | $25,730 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$47,450
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$44,370
- Jacksonville$45,800
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$46,380
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$45,680
- Tallahassee$39,830
- Lakeland-Winter Haven$41,770
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$42,570
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$53,660
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$46,320
- Richmond$47,840
- Roanoke$45,100
- Kingsport-Bristol$39,850
- Charlottesville$53,100
- Lynchburg$41,510
- Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford$44,100
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$53,550
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$62,110
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$52,920
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$55,380
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$55,020
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$62,940
- Fresno$50,100
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$54,170
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Monitoring
Knowledge used
- Administrative
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
Work styles
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cooperation
- Social Orientation
- Integrity
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Enterprising (leading), Social (helping) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive: questions
How much do secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive make?
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive earn a U.S. median $47,540 a year; the middle half earn $38,830 to $58,000 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $39,105 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 6.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 163,900 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive?
BLS lists the typical entry education as high school diploma or equivalent. In O*NET's survey, 11% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is psychology (8%).
How much do secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $45,900 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $47,540 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 43-6014. Method
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