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

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$47,540

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$38,830 – $58,000

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

1,706,790

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

-6%

Shrinking (below 0%)

Openings a year (projected)

163,900

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

Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.

Main tasks

• 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.
• Use computers for various applications, such as database management or word processing.
• Operate office equipment, such as fax machines, copiers, or phone systems and arrange for repairs when equipment malfunctions.
• Set up and manage paper or electronic filing systems, recording information, updating paperwork, or maintaining documents, such as attendance records, correspondence, or other material.
• Operate electronic mail systems and coordinate the flow of information, internally or with other organizations.
• Schedule and confirm appointments for clients, customers, or supervisors.

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

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: short-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

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.

• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

  $76,590 median · 0% projected

• Office Clerks, General

  $45,010 median · -6% projected

• Administrative Services Managers

  $114,130 median · +5.2% projected

• Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

  $55,570 median · -5.2% projected

• Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

  $45,930 median · +4.8% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

  $69,500 median · +0.1% projected