Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

43-6014 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, 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. Excludes legal, medical, and executive secretaries (43-6011 through 43-6013).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic 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)
1,955,570 0.3 % $15.87 $33,020 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.64 $12.19 $15.32 $18.96 $22.92
Annual Wage (2) $20,050 $25,350 $31,870 $39,440 $47,670


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Elementary and Secondary Schools 221,030 2.63 $16.16 $33,610
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 107,050 3.75 $16.74 $34,820
Local Government (OES Designation) 98,700 1.79 $17.30 $35,980
Employment Services 68,240 2.31 $15.55 $32,350
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 62,350 1.20 $16.77 $34,880

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures 2,400 12.49 $15.38 $31,990
Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers 31,210 11.58 $14.14 $29,420
Religious Organizations 15,240 8.28 $14.10 $29,320
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 27,160 6.48 $16.43 $34,170
Death Care Services 8,220 6.23 $13.50 $28,070

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Postal Service 830 0.13 $26.38 $54,860
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 21,990 1.07 $22.60 $47,010
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing 300 0.19 $20.46 $42,550
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank 270 1.35 $20.44 $42,510
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing 800 0.51 $20.22 $42,050


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 184,610 21.91 1.44 $17.44 $36,280
Texas 165,820 16.09 1.06 $14.62 $30,400
California 160,970 11.47 0.75 $18.05 $37,540
Florida 144,980 20.27 1.33 $14.62 $30,410
Pennsylvania 94,080 16.95 1.11 $15.26 $31,750




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Colorado 57,000 26.16 1.72 $16.48 $34,270
New Mexico 19,390 24.94 1.64 $13.78 $28,670
Montana 9,920 23.34 1.53 $13.22 $27,510
Mississippi 24,750 23.06 1.51 $13.19 $27,440
Alabama 41,050 22.69 1.49 $15.38 $31,990




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 9,110 14.13 0.93 $23.06 $47,960
Massachusetts 41,800 13.24 0.87 $19.18 $39,890
Connecticut 31,700 19.71 1.29 $19.01 $39,540
Alaska 4,020 12.85 0.84 $18.80 $39,110
New Jersey 57,160 15.16 0.99 $18.79 $39,090





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 101,900 20.13 1.32 $18.52 $38,520
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 47,700 12.48 0.82 $17.76 $36,940
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 41,230 11.51 0.75 $16.68 $34,680
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 37,720 14.78 0.97 $15.79 $32,830
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 32,080 17.67 1.16 $16.95 $35,250
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 29,850 24.69 1.62 $17.43 $36,260
Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO 28,910 24.08 1.58 $17.43 $36,260
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 27,730 13.56 0.89 $15.88 $33,040
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 25,480 11.44 0.75 $15.54 $32,330
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 24,980 10.81 0.71 $20.68 $43,010




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Carson City, NV 940 35.26 2.31 $17.96 $37,360
Grand Junction, CO 1,810 31.64 2.08 $14.55 $30,260
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 3,950 31.04 2.04 $15.46 $32,150
Montgomery, AL 4,750 30.27 1.99 $15.31 $31,840
Punta Gorda, FL 1,160 29.73 1.95 $13.64 $28,380
Auburn-Opelika, AL 1,360 29.27 1.92 $16.10 $33,490
Colorado Springs, CO 6,770 28.01 1.84 $15.48 $32,210
Greeley, CO 2,150 27.79 1.82 $14.98 $31,150
Las Cruces, NM 1,840 27.72 1.82 $12.93 $26,880
Jackson, MS 6,620 26.90 1.76 $13.88 $28,880




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Trenton-Ewing, NJ 3,820 17.65 1.16 $21.49 $44,700
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 11,480 11.96 0.78 $20.80 $43,270
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 24,980 10.81 0.71 $20.68 $43,010
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 21,540 12.86 0.84 $20.23 $42,080
Framingham, MA NECTA Division 2,370 15.24 1.00 $20.09 $41,780
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 8,810 21.49 1.41 $20.08 $41,760
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 10,080 10.59 0.69 $19.96 $41,510
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 8,150 9.30 0.61 $19.87 $41,330
Napa, CA 670 10.89 0.71 $19.65 $40,880
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 9,520 17.31 1.14 $19.48 $40,520

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 8,410 22.10 1.45 $12.02 $25,010
Northwestern Texas nonmetropolitan area 5,820 23.51 1.54 $12.02 $25,000
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area 5,300 19.14 1.26 $12.58 $26,160
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 4,930 16.88 1.11 $13.55 $28,190
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 4,510 21.69 1.42 $12.98 $27,000

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Central Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 800 36.79 2.41 $20.23 $42,080
Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area 2,330 35.32 2.32 $13.15 $27,350
Western Colorado nonmetropolitan area 3,400 33.81 2.22 $15.62 $32,490
South Western Utah nonmetropolitan area 690 32.82 2.15 $13.45 $27,980
Southeastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 1,130 31.26 2.05 $14.53 $30,230

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Alamos County, New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 360 22.60 1.48 $21.29 $44,290
North Central Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 800 36.79 2.41 $20.23 $42,080
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 1,010 14.03 0.92 $19.56 $40,680
Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard nonmetropolitan area 110 8.08 0.53 $18.46 $38,400
Northwest Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 390 14.39 0.94 $18.30 $38,060


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012