Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2004

43-6014 Secretaries, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive

Perform routine clerical and administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers. Exclude legal, medical, or executive secretaries and administrative assistants (43-6011 through 43-6013).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
1,712,600 0.6 % $13.23 $27,520 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.08 $10.07 $12.72 $16.00 $19.58
Annual Wage (2) $16,810 $20,940 $26,450 $33,280 $40,730

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Elementary and secondary schools 221,440 $13.30 $27,670
Colleges and universities 100,790 $13.65 $28,390
Local government (OES designation) 90,940 $14.42 $30,000
General medical and surgical hospitals 66,760 $13.43 $27,930
Employment services 56,680 $12.68 $26,380

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Postal service 1,110 $22.68 $47,180
Federal government (OES designation) 33,510 $18.61 $38,710
Monetary authorities - central bank 340 $18.37 $38,220
Computer and peripheral equipment mfg. 830 $17.95 $37,330
Rail transportation 680 $17.82 $37,070

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 13,330 $18.43 $38,330 2.186%
New Mexico 15,680 $11.97 $24,900 2.077%
Louisiana 38,270 $10.90 $22,680 2.052%
New York 160,980 $14.63 $30,440 1.940%
Wyoming 4,760 $10.91 $22,690 1.930%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 13,330 $18.43 $38,330 2.186%
New Jersey 71,730 $16.48 $34,270 1.839%
Massachusetts 41,640 $16.00 $33,270 1.331%
Connecticut 24,410 $15.91 $33,080 1.488%
Alaska 3,190 $15.65 $32,540 1.078%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Houma, LA MSA 1,970 $9.58 $19,920 2.381%
Trenton, NJ PMSA 5,110 $17.89 $37,200 2.317%
San Angelo, TX MSA 990 $10.80 $22,470 2.284%
Florence, AL MSA 1,140 $10.32 $21,460 2.274%
Dutchess County, NY PMSA 2,610 $13.35 $27,770 2.232%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA 2,710 $18.89 $39,280 1.361%
Oakland, CA PMSA 7,680 $17.89 $37,210 0.763%
Trenton, NJ PMSA 5,110 $17.89 $37,200 2.317%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 9,390 $17.84 $37,110 0.987%
San Jose, CA PMSA 5,430 $17.82 $37,060 0.637%

About November 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

All Office and Administrative Support Occupations

November 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download November 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 9, 2005