Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$76,590

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$61,390 – $94,390

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

459,910

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

0%

Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)

Openings a year (projected)

43,300

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Provide high-level administrative support by conducting research, preparing statistical reports, and handling information requests, as well as performing routine administrative functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings. May also train and supervise lower-level clerical staff.

Main tasks

• Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
• Make travel arrangements for executives.
• Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
• Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
• Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.
• Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.
• Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
• Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Work experience in a related job: less than 5 years

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 2 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive

  $47,540 median · -6% projected

• Administrative Services Managers

  $114,130 median · +5.2% projected

• Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

  $55,570 median · -5.2% projected

• Office Clerks, General

  $45,010 median · -6% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

  $69,500 median · +0.1% projected

• Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping

  $50,610 median · -6.2% projected