Pay by state · 54 areas
Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Salary by State (2026)
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive earn the most in District of Columbia at $59,910 a year and the least in Mississippi at $37,340 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $47,540. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $59,910District of Columbia
- National median
- $47,540BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $37,340Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Connecticut comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$59,910
- 2Massachusetts$57,940
- 3Washington$57,330
- 4Connecticut$57,210
- 5California$55,400
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$37,340
- 2Arkansas$37,630
- 3Louisiana$38,790
- 4Oklahoma$39,660
- 5West Virginia$40,370
All states
Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $59,910 | $47,370 | $73,340 | 11,800 | $54,513 |
| 2 | MAMassachusetts | $57,940 | $48,150 | $64,240 | 37,750 | $54,786 |
| 3 | WAWashington | $57,330 | $48,840 | $64,620 | 31,710 | $53,573 |
| 4 | CTConnecticut | $57,210 | $47,630 | $66,050 | 22,650 | $55,217 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $55,400 | $46,390 | $65,400 | 158,630 | $50,036 |
| 6 | RIRhode Island | $52,140 | $44,770 | $61,630 | 5,200 | $50,978 |
| 7 | OROregon | $51,740 | $45,460 | $61,020 | 23,150 | $50,058 |
| 8 | MNMinnesota | $51,400 | $44,860 | $60,540 | 31,330 | $52,119 |
| 9 | HIHawaii | $50,830 | $43,920 | $60,410 | 7,020 | $46,230 |
| 10 | NJNew Jersey | $50,260 | $43,200 | $61,370 | 65,960 | $46,193 |
| 11 | MEMaine | $49,820 | $44,750 | $57,570 | 6,740 | $51,334 |
| 12 | NYNew York | $49,600 | $43,920 | $59,100 | 122,490 | $45,960 |
| 13 | VTVermont | $48,920 | $44,340 | $56,620 | 3,360 | $49,940 |
| 14 | COColorado | $48,690 | $42,840 | $58,170 | 29,120 | $47,248 |
| 15 | MDMaryland | $48,680 | $41,030 | $59,290 | 54,890 | $46,380 |
| 16 | AKAlaska | $48,530 | $41,760 | $58,910 | 5,390 | $47,412 |
| 17 | ILIllinois | $48,310 | $39,050 | $61,180 | 74,280 | $48,330 |
| 18 | NHNew Hampshire | $48,080 | $40,880 | $56,680 | 9,050 | $46,158 |
| 19 | DEDelaware | $47,970 | $40,230 | $58,600 | 6,320 | $48,062 |
| 20 | AZArizona | $47,940 | $40,510 | $55,860 | 31,220 | $47,618 |
| 21 | WIWisconsin | $47,710 | $42,360 | $56,030 | 28,100 | $50,704 |
| 22 | VAVirginia | $47,620 | $39,040 | $57,600 | 31,580 | $47,100 |
| 23 | NDNorth Dakota | $47,480 | $40,270 | $53,880 | 5,800 | $53,373 |
| 24 | UTUtah | $47,050 | $37,930 | $55,260 | 14,870 | $47,591 |
| 25 | NENebraska | $46,760 | $39,710 | $54,080 | 16,240 | $51,896 |
| 26 | NVNevada | $46,570 | $39,440 | $54,500 | 16,790 | $46,580 |
| 27 | NMNew Mexico | $46,450 | $38,200 | $55,720 | 25,430 | $50,373 |
| 28 | PAPennsylvania | $46,270 | $37,980 | $53,090 | 65,310 | $47,421 |
| 29 | OHOhio | $46,230 | $38,170 | $53,710 | 54,790 | $49,831 |
| 30 | MIMichigan | $46,020 | $38,350 | $53,090 | 40,830 | $47,829 |
| 31 | FLFlorida | $45,900 | $37,840 | $53,340 | 104,000 | $44,385 |
| 32 | TNTennessee | $45,810 | $37,040 | $54,000 | 34,580 | $49,864 |
| 33 | NCNorth Carolina | $45,790 | $38,100 | $51,870 | 43,690 | $48,544 |
| 34 | WYWyoming | $45,450 | $38,760 | $50,310 | 2,250 | $49,034 |
| 35 | IAIowa | $45,150 | $38,040 | $51,070 | 12,830 | $51,446 |
| 36 | TXTexas | $45,140 | $36,030 | $53,540 | 149,650 | $46,509 |
| 37 | SCSouth Carolina | $44,880 | $36,880 | $52,420 | 30,180 | $47,873 |
| 38 | INIndiana | $44,270 | $36,860 | $50,050 | 20,100 | $47,434 |
| 39 | KYKentucky | $44,200 | $36,970 | $51,370 | 18,420 | $49,025 |
| 40 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $44,040 | $36,680 | $49,110 | 530 | N/A |
| 41 | MTMontana | $43,940 | $37,210 | $48,450 | 4,520 | $46,426 |
| 42 | IDIdaho | $43,710 | $36,770 | $49,350 | 7,570 | $45,773 |
| 43 | MOMissouri | $43,540 | $36,750 | $49,930 | 33,180 | $47,943 |
| 44 | KSKansas | $42,270 | $35,960 | $49,380 | 32,120 | $46,931 |
| 45 | SDSouth Dakota | $41,700 | $36,280 | $47,670 | 6,120 | $47,073 |
| 46 | ALAlabama | $41,630 | $35,580 | $49,120 | 45,050 | $46,868 |
| 47 | GAGeorgia | $41,600 | $32,130 | $52,090 | 44,430 | $43,201 |
| 48 | WVWest Virginia | $40,370 | $34,090 | $47,920 | 8,820 | $45,108 |
| 49 | OKOklahoma | $39,660 | $32,230 | $48,310 | 20,120 | $45,149 |
| 50 | LALouisiana | $38,790 | $31,840 | $46,710 | 28,040 | $43,976 |
| 51 | ARArkansas | $37,630 | $31,720 | $46,210 | 8,590 | $43,284 |
| 52 | MSMississippi | $37,340 | $30,430 | $46,490 | 14,720 | $42,943 |
| 53 | GUGuam | $36,030 | $29,990 | $46,570 | 1,610 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $25,730 | $22,600 | $29,680 | 17,810 | N/A |
Method
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 secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $59,910, while Connecticut leads once prices are taken into account at $55,217.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive at $59,910 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Massachusetts ($57,940) and Washington ($57,330).
Which state pays secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive at $37,340 a year, $22,570 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $44,040, Guam reports $36,030 and Puerto Rico reports $25,730.
Is the highest-paying state the best for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive after cost of living?
Not on this data. District of Columbia pays the most on paper ($59,910) but ranks 3rd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($54,513). Connecticut leads after that adjustment at $55,217, from a raw median of $57,210. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.