Sort by any column. Employment is the number of executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant Salary by State (2026)
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants earn the most in District of Columbia at $90,850 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $37,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $76,590. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $90,850
- National median
- $76,590
- Lowest median
- $37,120
- States reporting
- 54
District of Columbia
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
- 1. District of Columbia$90,850 median · $82,665 adjusted · 4,560 employed
- 2. New Jersey$89,520 median · $82,276 adjusted · 11,690 employed
- 3. California$89,000 median · $80,383 adjusted · 59,640 employed
- 4. Massachusetts$82,650 median · $78,151 adjusted · 14,820 employed
- 5. Connecticut$82,520 median · $79,645 adjusted · 6,490 employed
Lowest-paying states for Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
- 54. Puerto Rico$37,120 median · no price parity · 7,100 employed
- 53. Guam$43,930 median · no price parity · 80 employed
- 52. Arkansas$51,600 median · $59,353 adjusted · 2,070 employed
- 51. Wyoming$52,210 median · $56,327 adjusted · 560 employed
- 50. Louisiana$53,240 median · $60,358 adjusted · 9,270 employed
Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $90,850 | $77,990 | $102,310 | 4,560 | $82,665 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $89,520 | $74,840 | $103,290 | 11,690 | $82,276 |
| 3 | California | $89,000 | $72,110 | $107,090 | 59,640 | $80,383 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $82,650 | $69,560 | $100,170 | 14,820 | $78,151 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $82,520 | $69,570 | $101,060 | 6,490 | $79,645 |
| 6 | Hawaii | $80,710 | $66,150 | $97,890 | 1,440 | $73,405 |
| 7 | New York | $80,640 | $68,470 | $100,400 | 88,890 | $74,721 |
| 8 | Virginia | $80,330 | $63,480 | $98,770 | 10,360 | $79,453 |
| 9 | Washington | $79,250 | $72,670 | $90,570 | 11,560 | $74,056 |
| 10 | Delaware | $78,920 | $64,160 | $92,550 | 1,320 | $79,072 |
| 11 | Maryland | $78,540 | $64,470 | $94,000 | 13,960 | $74,829 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $78,470 | $64,810 | $91,540 | 7,970 | $79,567 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $77,820 | $64,460 | $90,620 | 950 | $76,085 |
| 14 | Oregon | $75,480 | $63,940 | $86,870 | 6,000 | $73,026 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $75,270 | $59,890 | $85,970 | 12,910 | $77,143 |
| 16 | Illinois | $74,390 | $57,590 | $93,180 | 14,900 | $74,421 |
| 17 | New Mexico | $73,890 | $64,870 | $82,840 | 2,800 | $80,131 |
| 18 | Texas | $71,990 | $58,790 | $87,040 | 34,520 | $74,173 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $71,650 | $57,090 | $86,810 | 1,210 | $68,785 |
| 20 | Arizona | $70,770 | $57,910 | $84,040 | 6,490 | $70,294 |
| 21 | Vermont | $70,770 | $63,880 | $80,450 | 770 | $72,245 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $70,140 | $58,480 | $83,260 | 8,890 | $74,359 |
| 23 | Ohio | $69,600 | $57,640 | $82,460 | 10,940 | $75,021 |
| 24 | Alabama | $69,450 | $56,760 | $83,140 | 2,880 | $78,189 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $68,920 | $59,270 | $78,400 | 4,480 | $73,245 |
| 26 | Georgia | $68,290 | $58,930 | $81,080 | 14,560 | $70,919 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $68,190 | $56,370 | $79,840 | 5,360 | $74,224 |
| 28 | Nevada | $67,830 | $55,720 | $83,890 | 2,670 | $67,844 |
| 29 | Michigan | $66,840 | $57,570 | $81,050 | 9,030 | $69,468 |
| 30 | Alaska | $66,210 | $56,490 | $79,500 | 1,320 | $64,684 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $66,210 | $56,100 | $79,380 | 1,860 | $73,483 |
| 32 | Colorado | $65,850 | $57,920 | $82,620 | 10,340 | $63,900 |
| 33 | Kansas | $64,860 | $57,090 | $78,220 | 2,750 | $72,012 |
| 34 | Florida | $64,710 | $51,590 | $81,190 | 19,220 | $62,574 |
| 35 | Maine | $64,100 | $54,570 | $75,650 | 2,320 | $66,048 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $63,820 | $52,110 | $77,990 | 860 | $71,310 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $62,410 | $52,050 | $75,650 | 2,700 | $69,222 |
| 38 | Iowa | $62,340 | $51,450 | $71,390 | 4,150 | $71,033 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $61,270 | $52,570 | $75,140 | 540 | $68,874 |
| 40 | Utah | $61,130 | $47,620 | $76,630 | 5,440 | $61,832 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $60,890 | $50,290 | $77,160 | 3,880 | $64,950 |
| 42 | Missouri | $60,320 | $50,650 | $76,820 | 8,500 | $66,419 |
| 43 | Idaho | $60,200 | $51,030 | $79,430 | 1,180 | $63,041 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $59,910 | $49,830 | $74,320 | 2,810 | $68,201 |
| 45 | Montana | $59,750 | $51,140 | $67,720 | 550 | $63,131 |
| 46 | Indiana | $59,080 | $49,740 | $73,450 | 5,060 | $63,303 |
| 47 | U.S. Virgin Islands | $56,720 | $40,260 | $64,600 | 170 | N/A |
| 48 | Mississippi | $55,670 | $44,870 | $70,880 | 1,240 | $64,023 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $55,170 | $48,980 | $62,390 | 1,230 | $62,278 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $53,240 | $43,710 | $63,500 | 9,270 | $60,358 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $52,210 | $48,380 | $59,800 | 560 | $56,327 |
| 52 | Arkansas | $51,600 | $43,940 | $66,480 | 2,070 | $59,353 |
| 53 | Guam | $43,930 | $39,520 | $55,910 | 80 | N/A |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $37,120 | $30,700 | $47,340 | 7,100 | N/A |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $90,850, while District of Columbia leads once prices are taken into account at $82,665.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants at $90,850 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by New Jersey ($89,520) and California ($89,000).
Which state pays Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants at $37,120 a year, $53,730 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts District of Columbia first at $82,665 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $90,850. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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