Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
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Overview
Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.
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Titles for this career often contain these words
AdministrativeSecretaryAssistantAdminCoordinatorSpecialistOfficeAssociateClerkSupportEscrowPersonalSchoolLiaisonResourcesASATechnicianAppointmentSchedulerClericalDepartmentFrontDeskAdministratorOperationsPoliceRealEstateSchedulingAttendanceStaff
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Responsibilities and activities

Secretaries and administrative assistants typically do the following:

  • Answer telephones and take messages or transfer calls
  • Schedule appointments and update event calendars
  • Arrange staff meetings
  • Handle incoming and outgoing mail and faxes
  • Prepare memos, invoices, or other reports
  • Edit documents
  • Maintain databases and filing systems, whether electronic or paper
  • Perform basic bookkeeping

Secretaries and administrative assistants perform a variety of clerical and administrative duties that are necessary to run an organization efficiently. They use computer software to create spreadsheets; manage databases; and prepare presentations, reports, and documents. They also may negotiate with vendors, buy supplies, and manage stockrooms or corporate libraries. Secretaries and administrative assistants also use videoconferencing, fax, and other office equipment. Specific job duties vary by experience, job title, and specialty.

The following are examples of types of secretaries and administrative assistants: 

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants provide high-level administrative support for an office and for top executives of an organization. They often handle more complex responsibilities, such as reviewing incoming documents, conducting research, and preparing reports. Some also supervise clerical staff.

Legal secretaries perform work requiring knowledge of legal terminology and procedures. They prepare legal documents, such as summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas under the supervision of an attorney or a paralegal. They also review legal journals and help with legal research—for example, by verifying quotes and citations in legal briefs.

Medical secretaries transcribe dictation and prepare reports or articles for physicians or medical scientists. They also take simple medical histories of patients, arrange for patients to be hospitalized, or process insurance payments. Medical secretaries need to be familiar with medical terminology and codes, medical records, and hospital or laboratory procedures.

Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive form the largest subcategory of secretaries and administrative assistants. They handle an office’s administrative activities in almost every sector of the economy, including schools, government, and private corporations. For example, secretaries in schools are often responsible for handling most of the communications among parents, students, the community, teachers, and school administrators. They schedule appointments, receive visitors, and keep track of students’ records.

Salary
Median salary: $38,850 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $31,180 and $48,860.
$39K$0$20K$40K$60K
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for secretaries and administrative assistants
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$34K$40K$39K$36K$37K$31K$41K$41K$24K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
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About Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of secretaries and administrative assistants who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
  • Time Pressure (78%)
  • Unpleasant or Angry People (44%)
  • High Conflict Frequency (34%)
SOURCES:
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Secretaries and Administrative Assistants? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Decisionmaking skills
Secretaries and administrative assistants often prioritize tasks and make decisions on their employers’ behalf, so good judgment is essential.
Interpersonal skills
Secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff. They should communicate effectively and be courteous when interacting with others to create a positive work environment and client experience.
Organizational skills
Secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in proper order so an office can run efficiently.
Writing skills
Secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers. Therefore, they must have good grammar, ensure accuracy, and maintain a professional tone.
Injury and Illness
About 15 secretaries and administrative assistants become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 50% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
All multiple traumatic injuries
Fractures
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by secretaries and administrative assistants
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), secretaries and administrative assistants typically hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as secretaries and administrative assistants as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for secretaries and administrative assistants

High school graduates can take courses in word processing and office procedures at technical schools or community colleges. Some temporary placement agencies also provide training in word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.

Some medical and legal secretaries learn industry-specific terminology and practices by attending courses offered at community colleges or technical schools. For executive secretary positions, employers increasingly prefer to hire those who have taken some college courses or have a bachelor’s degree.

Education level of Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Only 23% of secretaries and administrative assistants have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by secretaries and administrative assistants
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click a program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Number of degrees awarded in 2018
Education
Education level of awarded degrees
Assoc./Cert.
Bachelor's
Graduate
Gender
Gender of graduates
Men
Women
Race/Origin
Race/origin of graduates
White
Minority
International
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Secretaries and Administrative Assistants per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most secretaries and administrative assistants? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as secretaries and administrative assistants. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where secretaries and administrative assistants earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for secretaries and administrative assistants compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for secretaries and administrative assistants.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which secretaries and administrative assistants earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
Employment
22% of Secretaries and administrative assistants are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 22% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 71% of careers.
22%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of secretaries and administrative assistants by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$37K$36K$37K$37K$30K$36K$47K$35K$22K$0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000Working without paySelf-employed not incorporatedSelf-employed incorporatedFederal governmentState governmentLocal governmentPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Secretaries and administrative assistants and gender
With 94% women, this occupation has a higher percentage of women than 99% of careers.
Gender of Secretaries and administrative assistants
Men (6%)
Women (94%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$37K$41K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
94%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Context: Salary inequity
The median salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%. The situation is a little better for secretaries and administrative assistants, with the median salary for men 11% higher than the median salary for women.
11%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Secretaries and administrative assistants
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Secretaries and administrative assistants.
Race/origin of secretaries and administrative assistants
White (80% )
Black (10% )
Other (3% )
Asian (3% )
Multiracial (2% )
Hispanic (1% )
American Indian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$32K$33K$34K$37K$37K$37K$37K$42K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100KHispanicOtherAmerican IndianMultiracialPacific IslanderBlackWhiteAsian
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.