How much do administrative assistants make in 2026?
Administrative assistants are counted in the BLS secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical and executive series: OEWS May 2025 puts SOC 43-6014 at a national median of $47,540 a year ($22.86 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $33,280 and the top 10% at $66,350. This is one of the largest occupations in the country, with 1,706,790 workers, and the band is comparatively narrow because the work is standardised across industries. What moves pay within it is mostly the employer rather than the individual: administrative assistants in engineering, energy, finance, technology and government pay above the median, while retail, non-profit and small professional services pay below it. The second lever is scope creep in the useful sense — assistants who take on budget tracking, project coordination, contract administration, systems ownership or event management are performing work that has its own market value, and they should be paid for that rather than as generalists. Employment is projected to decline 1.6% through 2034, with roughly 202,800 openings a year, which is one of the largest opening counts of any occupation. Both facts are true: the role is contracting and hiring constantly, because turnover in an occupation this size dwarfs the rate of decline. → Full administrative assistant career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $47,540 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Administrative Assistants earn a national median $47,540/yr ($22.86/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-6014); the P10 to P90 range is $33,280 to $66,350.
- The employer matters more than the individual: engineering, energy, finance, technology and government pay above the median for the same nominal role.
- Taking on budget tracking, project coordination, contract administration or systems ownership is work with its own market value, and is the reliable route above the band's midpoint.
- Employment is declining 1.6% while producing roughly 202,800 openings a year — the occupation is contracting and hiring constantly, because turnover dwarfs the rate of decline.
US Administrative Assistant Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do administrative assistants earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 43-6014; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-6014, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an administrative assistant earn at each career stage?
Administrative pay follows the responsibility you are trusted with rather than years served. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 43-6014.
By State
Which states pay administrative assistants the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national administrative assistant median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. In this occupation the industry mix of a state matters as much as its wage level: places with concentrated engineering, energy or financial employers pay administrative staff noticeably better.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($54,670), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay administrative assistants the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Remote administrative work has begun to flatten some metro differences without eliminating them.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an administrative assistant’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does administrative assistant pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Administrative Assistants sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify administrative assistant wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an administrative assistant actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Administrative Assistant Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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