Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive: Career Overview
Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.
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What Tasks Do Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Do?
Typical responsibilities of secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive cover:
- 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.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Types of Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Jobs
Common job titles for this role include:
- Administrative Assistant (Admin Assistant)
- Administrative Associate
- Administrative Clerk
- Administrative Coordinator
- Administrative Liaison
- Administrative Resources Associate
- Administrative Secretary (Admin Secretary)
- Administrative Specialist (Admin Specialist)
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 1,902,502 secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -3.9% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $42,498 |
| Hourly median | $20.43 |
| 10th percentile | $23,784 |
| 25th percentile | $33,141 |
| 75th percentile | $51,856 |
| 90th percentile | $61,213 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $55,800 |
| Connecticut | $55,690 |
| Washington | $54,560 |
| Massachusetts | $53,690 |
| California | $53,190 |
| Rhode Island | $51,500 |
| Hawaii | $50,580 |
| Oregon | $49,950 |
| Minnesota | $49,900 |
| New Jersey | $49,600 |
| New York | $49,200 |
| Illinois | $47,890 |
| Vermont | $47,590 |
| Colorado | $47,430 |
| Maine | $46,990 |
| Maryland | $46,800 |
| Delaware | $46,710 |
| Wisconsin | $46,540 |
| Alaska | $46,280 |
| New Hampshire | $46,150 |
| Virginia | $46,100 |
| Arizona | $46,020 |
| Nevada | $45,750 |
| North Dakota | $45,490 |
| Ohio | $45,420 |
| Utah | $45,150 |
| Michigan | $44,880 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,740 |
| Nebraska | $44,600 |
| Iowa | $44,000 |
| Florida | $43,650 |
| Wyoming | $43,480 |
| Virgin Islands | $43,390 |
| Tennessee | $43,370 |
| Texas | $43,350 |
| North Carolina | $43,010 |
| New Mexico | $42,960 |
| Montana | $41,720 |
| South Carolina | $41,720 |
| Kentucky | $41,600 |
| Indiana | $41,090 |
| Idaho | $40,850 |
| Missouri | $40,250 |
| Alabama | $40,200 |
| South Dakota | $39,710 |
| Georgia | $39,220 |
| Kansas | $39,000 |
| West Virginia | $38,730 |
| Oklahoma | $38,630 |
| Louisiana | $37,800 |
| Arkansas | $37,060 |
| Mississippi | $36,000 |
| Guam | $35,080 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,980 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Pay for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $52,438 | 4.6% | 1.00 |
| Far Western US | $52,397 | 14.5% | 0.88 |
| Middle Atlantic | $48,098 | 19.0% | 1.29 |
| Great Lakes | $45,911 | 12.9% | 0.94 |
| Rocky Mountains | $45,337 | 3.4% | 0.86 |
| Southwest | $43,248 | 12.9% | 1.13 |
| Plains States | $43,205 | 7.7% | 1.21 |
| Southeast | $41,704 | 23.7% | 1.03 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven, CT | CT | $62,600 | 4,680 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $61,190 | 8,800 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $60,320 | 20,460 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $58,310 | 17,140 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $57,440 | 5,570 |
| Napa, CA | CA | $56,690 | 670 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | WA | $56,650 | 880 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $56,060 | 25,970 |
Top Industries Employing Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
The bulk of secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 353,220 | $46,480 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 193,560 | $44,790 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 187,180 | $48,440 |
| Construction | 128,640 | $44,980 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 115,970 | $43,950 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 98,010 | $44,500 |
| Finance and Insurance | 82,100 | $48,380 |
| Manufacturing | 70,220 | $47,740 |
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive work in the following industries:
Tools and Technology
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Cassandra (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Hive (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Apache Tomcat (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Project management software: Atlassian Confluence (hot technology)
- Content workflow software: Atlassian JIRA (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive reflects the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Getting Started in This Career
Most secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Human Resources Specialists (Supplemental)
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Social Science Research Assistants (Supplemental)
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers (Supplemental)
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers (Primary-Long)
- Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service (Supplemental)
- Correspondence Clerks (Primary-Long)
- Court, Municipal, and License Clerks (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Students preparing for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive typically earn programs in:
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
2 programs across 1 majors
Sources
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive).
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