State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants earn a median of $45,930 per year ($22.08/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 4.2% through 2034, with about 85,900 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 43-6013Office and Administrative SupportLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $45,930
- Projected growth
- +4.2%
- Openings a year
- 85,900
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Clinic Office Assistant, Front Desk Receptionist, Medical Office Specialist, Medical Receptionist, Medical Secretary, Physician Office Specialist.
How much do Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants make?
10th percentile$35,930
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$38,570
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$45,930
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$50,580
Upper quartile
90th percentile$60,530
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $45,930 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $22.08/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $46,800 |
| People employed | 961,610 |
Versus all US occupations
At $45,930, Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants earn 10% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $5,050 a year.
Versus office and administrative support occupations
Inside the Office and Administrative Support group, where the middle occupation pays $48,500, this is 5% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $60,530 or more while the bottom 10% earn $35,930, a gap of 1.7×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 18% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Washington pays the most at $58,100, and still leads at $54,292 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $58,100 | $54,292 | 10,960 |
| California | $54,490 | $49,214 | 115,050 |
| Massachusetts | $50,290 | $47,552 | 22,210 |
| Oregon | $50,130 | $48,500 | 16,840 |
| Minnesota | $50,030 | $50,730 | 16,860 |
| Hawaii | $49,920 | $45,402 | 2,160 |
| District of Columbia | $49,180 | $44,749 | 1,930 |
| New Jersey | $48,660 | $44,722 | 20,980 |
| Connecticut | $48,500 | $46,810 | 6,480 |
| New Hampshire | $48,410 | $46,474 | 3,680 |
Is Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant a growing career?
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants4.2%
All US occupations3.1%
+4.2% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants to change 4.2% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 35,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 85,900 openings are projected each year, 10.1% of the 850,000 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of secretaries and administrative assistants is projected to decline 0 percent from 2024 to 2034.
Despite declining employment, about 358,300 openings for secretaries and administrative assistants are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of secretaries and administrative assistants varies by occupation (see table).
How to become a Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant
High school graduates who are comfortable using word processing and spreadsheet programs typically qualify for entry-level positions. Although workers typically learn their duties over several weeks on the job, legal and medical secretaries and administrative assistants may need additional training to learn industry-specific terminology. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants typically need several years of related work experience.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as medical secretaries and administrative assistants.
- High School Diploma47.6%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)26.0%
- Post-Secondary Certificate19.9%
- Less than a High School Diploma5.3%
- Some College Courses1.2%
What does a Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant do?
Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.
Secretaries and administrative assistants do routine clerical and organizational tasks. They arrange files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.
Day-to-day tasks
- Answer telephones and direct calls to appropriate staff.
- Schedule and confirm patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations.
- Transmit correspondence or medical records by mail, e-mail, or fax.
- Operate office equipment, such as voice mail messaging systems, and use word processing, spreadsheet, or other software applications to prepare reports, invoices, financial statements, letters, case histories, or medical records.
- Receive and route messages or documents, such as laboratory results, to appropriate staff.
- Greet visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and direct them to appropriate staff.
- Perform bookkeeping duties, such as credits or collections, preparing and sending financial statements or bills, and keeping financial records.
- Interview patients to complete documents, case histories, or forms, such as intake or insurance forms.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Speaking4.0/5
- Active Listening3.9/5
- Reading Comprehension3.5/5
- Writing3.1/5
- Critical Thinking3.1/5
- Monitoring3.0/5
- Active Learning2.3/5
- Mathematics2.1/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation3.6/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Time Management3.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Management of Personnel Resources2.6/5
- Persuasion2.1/5
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Billing and invoicing software
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.3
Investigative3.0
Artistic1.0
Socialprimary4.1
Enterprisingprimary3.2
Conventionalprimary6.7
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with teaching, helping and working directly with other people.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant: frequently asked questions
How much do Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants make?
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants earn a median of $45,930 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 10% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $22.08/hr. The middle half earn between $38,570 and $50,580. The top 10% earn $60,530 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 47.6% hold high school diploma.
Is Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4.2% over 2024–2034, faster than the 3.1% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 85,900 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant do?
Secretaries and administrative assistants do routine clerical and organizational tasks. A core O*NET task: answer telephones and direct calls to appropriate staff. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants the most?
The highest state medians for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants are Washington ($58,100), California ($54,490), Massachusetts ($50,290) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant?
O*NET scores Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants highest on the Conventional, Social and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with teaching, helping and working directly with other people. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ESFJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.