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Secretary salary
Average secretary salary
$36,442
How much does a secretary make?
The average secretary salary in the United States is $36,442. Secretary salaries typically range between $26,000 and $51,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for secretaries is $17.52 per hour.
Secretary salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Secretaries earn the highest average salary in California.
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Where can a Secretary earn more?
Secretary Salaries By Experience Level
Secretary salary estimates from across the web
Average secretary salary by state
Highest paying states for secretaries
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $43,694 | $21.01 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $43,775 | $21.05 |
| 3 | Washington | $42,318 | $20.35 |
| 4 | New York | $39,836 | $19.15 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $43,237 | $20.79 |
| 6 | Oregon | $39,206 | $18.85 |
| 7 | California | $46,054 | $22.14 |
| 8 | Alaska | $38,418 | $18.47 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $38,704 | $18.61 |
| 10 | Vermont | $39,804 | $19.14 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $42,499 | $20.43 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $38,948 | $18.73 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $36,248 | $17.43 |
| 14 | Nevada | $37,494 | $18.03 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $36,274 | $17.44 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $33,237 | $15.98 |
| 17 | Michigan | $32,769 | $15.75 |
| 18 | Arizona | $33,549 | $16.13 |
| 19 | Maryland | $36,194 | $17.40 |
| 20 | Idaho | $32,000 | $15.38 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $34,967 | $16.81 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $31,001 | $14.90 |
| 23 | Utah | $32,228 | $15.49 |
| 24 | Maine | $31,517 | $15.15 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $31,378 | $15.09 |
| 26 | Ohio | $29,643 | $14.25 |
| 27 | Texas | $31,680 | $15.23 |
| 28 | Alabama | $32,574 | $15.66 |
| 29 | Illinois | $33,454 | $16.08 |
| 30 | Virginia | $33,077 | $15.90 |
| 31 | Montana | $30,026 | $14.44 |
| 32 | Colorado | $32,271 | $15.51 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $30,644 | $14.73 |
| 34 | Florida | $29,514 | $14.19 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $30,395 | $14.61 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $30,984 | $14.90 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $31,545 | $15.17 |
| 38 | Georgia | $31,165 | $14.98 |
| 39 | Iowa | $29,992 | $14.42 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $30,581 | $14.70 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $30,300 | $14.57 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $29,843 | $14.35 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $27,624 | $13.28 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $29,556 | $14.21 |
| 45 | Missouri | $28,618 | $13.76 |
| 46 | Delaware | $28,446 | $13.68 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $27,579 | $13.26 |
| 48 | Kansas | $28,526 | $13.71 |
| 49 | Indiana | $25,204 | $12.12 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $24,640 | $11.85 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $26,447 | $12.71 |
Highest paying cities for secretaries
The highest-paying cities for secretaries are San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $47,908 | $23.03 |
| 2 | Boston, MA | $43,608 | $20.97 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $43,233 | $20.79 |
| 4 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $42,513 | $20.44 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $39,940 | $19.20 |
| 6 | Lake Oswego, OR | $38,919 | $18.71 |
| 7 | Neptune, NJ | $38,910 | $18.71 |
| 8 | Providence, RI | $38,735 | $18.62 |
| 9 | Nashua, NH | $36,688 | $17.64 |
| 10 | Baltimore, MD | $36,566 | $17.58 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $33,563 | $16.14 |
| 12 | Detroit, MI | $32,766 | $15.75 |
| 13 | Denver, CO | $32,172 | $15.47 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $31,768 | $15.27 |
| 15 | Memphis, TN | $31,752 | $15.27 |
| 16 | Albany, GA | $31,673 | $15.23 |
| 17 | Cleveland, OH | $30,501 | $14.66 |
| 18 | Cedar Falls, IA | $30,233 | $14.54 |
| 19 | Miami, FL | $29,619 | $14.24 |
| 20 | Billings, MT | $29,443 | $14.16 |
Secretaries are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Secretary salary details
A secretary's salary ranges from $26,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $51,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a secretary's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $51,000 | $4,250 | $25 |
| 75th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
| Average | $36,442 | $3,037 | $18 |
| 25th Percentile | $30,000 | $2,500 | $14 |
| 10th Percentile | $26,000 | $2,167 | $13 |
Highest paying secretary jobs
The highest paying types of secretaries are assistant secretary, executive secretary, and legal secretary.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative Clerk | $32,327 | $2,694 | $15.54 | 137,639 |
| Administrative Support | $37,692 | $3,141 | $18.12 | 114,480 |
| Administrative Professional | $39,486 | $3,291 | $18.98 | 87,372 |
| Administrative Receptionist | $31,502 | $2,625 | $15.15 | 91,892 |
| Administrator Secretary | $34,336 | $2,861 | $16.51 | 99,520 |
| Receptionist Secretary | $29,343 | $2,445 | $14.11 | 61,892 |
Top companies hiring secretaries now:
Which companies pay secretaries the most?
Secretary salaries at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith and Kent Daniels & Associates are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average secretary salary at companies like Mayer Brown and Boston Public Schools are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith | $67,288 | $32.35 |
| 2 | Kent Daniels & Associates | $64,922 | $31.21 |
| 3 | Mayer Brown | $61,647 | $29.64 |
| 4 | Boston Public Schools | $60,875 | $29.27 |
| 5 | National Institutes of Health | $60,508 | $29.09 |
| 6 | SoCalGas | $59,927 | $28.81 |
| 7 | Saint Xavier University | $58,002 | $27.89 |
| 8 | Defense Finance and Accounting Service | $57,170 | $27.49 |
| 9 | Brigham and Women's Hospital | $55,904 | $26.88 |
| 10 | Fenwick & West | $55,816 | $26.83 |
| 11 | SUNY Empire State College | $55,658 | $26.76 |
| 12 | Catholic Health East | $55,385 | $26.63 |
| 13 | Cook Children's Medical Center | $55,300 | $26.59 |
| 14 | Baptist Health Home Care | $55,260 | $26.57 |
| 15 | ASRC Federal | $55,004 | $26.44 |
| 16 | Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership | $54,568 | $26.23 |
| 17 | Bureau of Land Management | $54,144 | $26.03 |
| 18 | Internal Revenue Service | $53,694 | $25.81 |
| 19 | Federal Bureau of Investigation | $53,529 | $25.74 |
| 20 | Lawrence General Hospital | $53,422 | $25.68 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Secretary salary by industry
The average secretary salary varies across industries:
- The average secretary salary in the government industry is $46,574, the highest of any industry.
- The average secretary salary in the finance industry is $39,722.
- Secretaries in the health care industry earn an average salary of $35,791, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for secretaries
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Government | $46,574 | $22.39 |
| 2 | Professional | $39,722 | $19.10 |
| 3 | Finance | $38,072 | $18.30 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $36,894 | $17.74 |
| 5 | Education | $36,421 | $17.51 |
| 6 | Health Care | $35,791 | $17.21 |
High Paying Secretary Jobs
Secretary salary trends
The average secretary salary has risen by $6,548 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average secretary earned $29,894 annually, but today, they earn $36,442 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for secretaries over the last decade.
Compare secretary salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average secretary salary over time
Compare secretary salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Secretary salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $36,400 | $17.52 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $35,400 | $17.00 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $34,400 | $16.52 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | $33,400 | $16.05 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $32,700 | $15.70 | +2.6% |
Recently added secretary salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alutiiq LLC | Secretary III | Watertown, SD | 12/17/2024 | $46,561 |
| Albuquerque Public Schools | Secretary Lead 248) Bookkeeper | Albuquerque, NM | 12/17/2024 | $31,931 |
| Alvin Independent School District (Tx | Campus Secretary-Elementary | Alvin, TX | 12/17/2024 | $33,840 |
| Covenant Health | Secretary II | Union, NJ | 12/16/2024 | $59,375 |
| Lehigh County, Pa | Secretarial Support I-Domestic Relations | Allentown, PA | 12/16/2024 | $37,794 |
| Department of Defense | Secretary (Office Automation) | Andrews Air Force Base, MD | 12/16/2024 | $50,326 |
| Huron Superior Catholic District School Board | Designated Casual Secretary-Switchboard/Call-Out Allocator | Aspen, CO | 12/16/2024 | $60,377 |
| Scarborough Health Network | Secretary III-Diagnostic Imaging | Union, NJ | 12/16/2024 | $27,726 |
| Mainemuseums | Secretary Associate | Augusta, GA | 12/16/2024 | $38,129 |
| Panda Cash Back | Startup Secretary | Novi, MI | 12/16/2024 | $25,044 |
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