How much do executive assistants make in 2026?
Executive assistants have their own BLS occupation code, separate from general administrative support: OEWS May 2025 puts SOC 43-6011 at a national median of $76,590 a year ($36.82 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $50,560 and the top 10% at $109,850. That is roughly sixty percent above the general administrative assistant median, and the reason is proximity. An executive assistant works to one or a small number of senior executives, which means access to confidential information, authority to act on the executive's behalf, and the ability to make or cost the organisation real money through how the executive's time and attention are managed. Pay therefore tracks the seniority of the person supported and the size of the organisation far more than it tracks the tasks performed. A chief executive's assistant at a large company sits at the top of this band and, at the largest employers, above it; an assistant to a departmental vice president at a mid-size firm sits in the middle. Industry compounds this: technology, financial services, private equity and law pay above healthcare, education and non-profit for the same role. Employment is projected to decline 1.6% through 2034, with roughly 50,000 openings a year. → Full executive assistant career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $76,590 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Executive Assistants earn a national median $76,590/yr ($36.82/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-6011); the P10 to P90 range is $50,560 to $109,850.
- Executive assistants have their own BLS code and a median roughly sixty percent above general administrative support, because the role is paid on proximity rather than tasks.
- The seniority of the executive supported and the size of the organisation set pay more than the duties do — a chief executive's assistant at a large firm sits at or above the top of this band.
- Technology, financial services, private equity and law pay above healthcare, education and non-profit for the same role.
US Executive Assistant Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do executive 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 43-6011; 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 43-6011, 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 executive assistant earn at each career stage?
Executive assistant pay follows who you support and how much you are trusted to decide. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 43-6011.
By State
Which states pay executive assistants the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national executive assistant median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. What drives real variation is where large corporate headquarters are, since the role's pay follows the executive's seniority and the organisation's size rather than the local cost of living.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($88,080), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay executive 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. Headquarters cities and financial centres pay executive assistants substantially above their state's general level.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an executive 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 executive assistant pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Executive 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 executive assistant wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an executive 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
Executive Assistant Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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