Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Salary
Office and Administrative Support Occupations · 1.7M employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$47,540
Median hourly
$23
Average annual
$49,350
Typical range
$33,280–$66,350
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive is $47,540 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $23 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers..
Most earn between $33,280 and $66,350 a year. There are roughly 1.7M people employed as secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive.
- Hourly
- $22.86
- Daily
- $183
- Weekly
- $914
- Bi-weekly
- $1,828
- Monthly
- $3,962
- Annual
- $47,540
$47,540 a year is around the 50th percentile for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executives. The median is $47,540.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1District of Columbia$59,910
- 2Massachusetts$57,940
- 3Washington$57,330
- 4Connecticut$57,210
- 5California$55,400
- 6Rhode Island$52,140
- 7Oregon$51,740
- 8Minnesota$51,400
- 9Hawaii$50,830
- 10New Jersey$50,260
- 11Maine$49,820
- 12New York$49,600
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1New Haven, CT$63,800
- 2San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$62,940
- 3San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$62,110
- 4Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$60,230
- 5Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA$59,510
- 6Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$59,330
- 7Napa, CA$58,810
- 8Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$57,720
- 9Longview-Kelso, WA$57,580
- 10Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$57,510
- 11Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$57,440
- 12Salinas, CA$57,340
Related job titles
Employers advertise Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive roles under these titles.
- Administrative Assistant (Admin Assistant)
- Administrative Associate
- Administrative Coordinator
- Administrative Liaison
- Administrative Resources Associate
- Administrative Secretary (Admin Secretary)
- Administrative Specialist (Admin Specialist)
- Administrative Support Assistant (ASA)
- Alumni Secretary
- Appointment Scheduler
- Clerical Secretary
- Clerk Secretary
- Department Secretary
- Escrow Assistant
- Escrow Secretary
- Front Desk Coordinator
Related occupations
- Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants$76,590
- Administrative Services Managers$114,130
- Office Clerks, General$45,010
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$55,570
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$45,930
- Receptionists and Information Clerks$38,010
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$69,500
- Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping$50,610
What a Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive does
- Review work done by others to check for correct spelling and grammar, ensure that company format policies are followed, and recommend revisions.
- Order and dispense supplies.
- Answer telephones and give information to callers, take messages, or transfer calls to appropriate individuals.
- Greet visitors or callers and handle their inquiries or direct them to the appropriate persons according to their needs.
- Create, maintain, and enter information into databases.
- Operate office equipment, such as fax machines, copiers, or phone systems and arrange for repairs when equipment malfunctions.
- Operate electronic mail systems and coordinate the flow of information, internally or with other organizations.
- Schedule and confirm appointments for clients, customers, or supervisors.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive make?
- The median annual wage for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive is $47,540 ($23 per hour). Pay ranges from about $33,280 at the 10th percentile to $66,350 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $49,350, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executives the most?
- District of Columbia has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $59,910.
- Is Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 1.7M people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive do?
- Review work done by others to check for correct spelling and grammar, ensure that company format policies are followed, and recommend revisions.; Order and dispense supplies.; Answer telephones and give information to callers, take messages, or transfer calls to appropriate individuals..