Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
Also called: Administrative Assistant (Admin Assistant), Administrative Associate, Administrative Clerk, Administrative Coordinator, Administrative Liaison, Administrative Resources Associate, Administrative Secretary (Admin Secretary), Administrative Specialist (Admin Specialist)
Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.
What Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive do
Typical tasks
- Answer telephones and give information to callers, take messages, or transfer calls to appropriate individuals.
- Greet visitors or callers and handle their inquiries or direct them to the appropriate persons according to their needs.
- Create, maintain, and enter information into databases.
- Use computers for various applications, such as database management or word processing.
- Operate office equipment, such as fax machines, copiers, or phone systems and arrange for repairs when equipment malfunctions.
- Set up and manage paper or electronic filing systems, recording information, updating paperwork, or maintaining documents, such as attendance records, correspondence, or other material.
- Operate electronic mail systems and coordinate the flow of information, internally or with other organizations.
- Schedule and confirm appointments for clients, customers, or supervisors.
- Maintain scheduling and event calendars.
- Compose, type, and distribute meeting notes, routine correspondence, or reports, such as presentations or expense, statistical, or monthly reports.
- Complete forms in accordance with company procedures.
- Locate and attach appropriate files to incoming correspondence requiring replies.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive salary
The median annual wage for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive is $47,540 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $33,280 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $66,350. The mean annual wage is $49,350.
The mean hourly wage of $23.00 is 3.2× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $47,540 → in 3 years $49,700 → in 5 years $51,200 → in 10 years $55,100 (10-year range $47,400–$63,900). The model assumes pay growth of +1.5% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive United States | 秘書 Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $47,540 | ¥5.92M ≈ $37,622 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $55,100 | ¥6.50M |
| Outlook score | 24 | 42 |
| AI replacement risk | 84% Very high | 87% Very high |
| Workers | 1.7M | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.