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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

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)
2,165,310 0.3 % $18.28 $38,030 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.09 $13.91 $17.61 $22.23 $26.93
Annual Wage (2) $23,060 $28,930 $36,630 $46,230 $56,010


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 241,470 2.83 $18.31 $38,080
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 123,000 2.24 $20.33 $42,280
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 116,530 3.83 $19.44 $40,440
Real Estate 89,610 5.54 $17.00 $35,360
Employment Services 75,550 2.06 $17.91 $37,250

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 3,460 12.59 $19.97 $41,540
Other Investment Pools and Funds 710 8.36 $19.45 $40,450
Religious Organizations 15,230 7.75 $16.41 $34,140
Death Care Services 9,390 6.85 $15.96 $33,190
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 25,890 5.96 $19.06 $39,640

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Postal Service (federal government) 760 0.12 $28.18 $58,610
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 12,080 0.60 $24.85 $51,700
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing 190 1.00 $23.06 $47,960
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank 360 1.98 $22.96 $47,760
Natural Gas Distribution 1,040 0.95 $22.88 $47,590


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)
California 238,840 14.04 0.94 $20.99 $43,670
New York 178,520 19.02 1.27 $19.80 $41,190
Texas 176,480 14.57 0.97 $17.09 $35,550
Florida 142,550 16.56 1.11 $16.86 $35,080
Pennsylvania 93,280 15.95 1.07 $17.35 $36,080




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)
New Mexico 27,800 34.25 2.29 $16.69 $34,710
Missouri 69,510 24.78 1.66 $16.83 $35,010
Alabama 46,100 23.71 1.59 $17.15 $35,670
Kansas 29,550 21.49 1.44 $16.26 $33,820
Alaska 6,730 21.33 1.43 $20.41 $42,450




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 14,670 20.59 1.38 $24.11 $50,140
Massachusetts 41,540 11.63 0.78 $22.57 $46,940
Connecticut 30,140 18.16 1.21 $22.34 $46,470
California 238,840 14.04 0.94 $20.99 $43,670
Washington 33,950 10.42 0.70 $20.80 $43,260





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-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 168,860 17.78 1.19 $20.41 $42,460
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 92,170 15.06 1.01 $20.95 $43,570
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 47,900 10.32 0.69 $19.11 $39,750
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 47,810 15.25 1.02 $21.99 $45,730
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 46,500 13.03 0.87 $18.42 $38,320
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 46,200 17.84 1.19 $17.47 $36,330
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 43,030 15.10 1.01 $19.35 $40,240
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 42,710 14.32 0.96 $18.09 $37,620
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 39,560 14.74 0.99 $17.41 $36,210
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 33,260 12.06 0.81 $22.79 $47,410




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)
Ithaca, NY 1,780 35.80 2.39 $22.75 $47,310
Jefferson City, MO 2,650 35.26 2.36 $15.43 $32,100
Santa Fe, NM 2,120 34.42 2.30 $18.91 $39,340
Carson City, NV 990 34.17 2.28 $18.92 $39,350
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL 1,450 33.96 2.27 $14.46 $30,080
Las Cruces, NM 2,350 33.37 2.23 $15.20 $31,620
Albuquerque, NM 12,730 32.97 2.20 $17.14 $35,650
Farmington, NM 1,550 32.05 2.14 $16.34 $33,990
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 2,100 29.00 1.94 $16.44 $34,190
St. Joseph, MO-KS 1,510 28.07 1.88 $15.14 $31,490




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)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 33,060 13.67 0.91 $23.99 $49,910
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 7,880 18.95 1.27 $23.49 $48,850
Trenton, NJ 4,540 19.62 1.31 $23.07 $47,990
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 33,260 12.06 0.81 $22.79 $47,410
Ithaca, NY 1,780 35.80 2.39 $22.75 $47,310
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 14,460 12.92 0.86 $22.59 $46,980
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 9,720 16.62 1.11 $22.53 $46,850
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 2,140 18.97 1.27 $22.39 $46,560
Leominster-Gardner, MA 620 11.81 0.79 $22.14 $46,060
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 16,810 8.47 0.57 $22.07 $45,910

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 9,680 24.67 1.65 $14.91 $31,000
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 6,270 39.59 2.65 $15.87 $33,010
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 4,880 17.94 1.20 $14.64 $30,450
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 4,720 20.23 1.35 $15.37 $31,960
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area 4,570 27.87 1.86 $14.76 $30,700

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)
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 6,270 39.59 2.65 $15.87 $33,010
Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 2,680 33.45 2.24 $16.12 $33,540
North Missouri nonmetropolitan area 3,270 29.83 1.99 $14.50 $30,160
Maryland nonmetropolitan area 1,790 29.73 1.99 $17.45 $36,290
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 2,720 28.21 1.89 $15.56 $32,370

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)
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 850 14.03 0.94 $20.80 $43,270
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 660 20.00 1.34 $20.60 $42,860
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 2,410 22.70 1.52 $20.50 $42,640
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 2,040 17.01 1.14 $19.51 $40,590
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 920 15.51 1.04 $19.20 $39,930


About May 2018 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 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 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019