Administrative assistant salary in 2026
The median administrative assistant in the United States earns $47,540 a year, or $22.86 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey, published this year. The middle half of administrative assistants earn between $38,830 and $58,000.
Where you work matters more than anything else: District of Columbia pays a median of $59,910, Massachusetts $57,940, and the highest paying metro area, New Haven, CT, $63,800. There are 1,706,790 administrative assistants in the country.
Liaison does the routine half of an administrative assistant’s job for 12% of what one costs. See how.
Administrative assistant salary by state
Median annual and hourly wage, the range the middle half earn, and how many administrative assistants work in each state. Click a state for its cities.
| State | Median annual | Median hourly | Middle half earns | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $59,910 | $28.80 | $47,370 to $73,340 | 11,800 |
| Massachusetts | $57,940 | $27.86 | $48,150 to $64,240 | 37,750 |
| Washington | $57,330 | $27.56 | $48,840 to $64,620 | 31,710 |
| Connecticut | $57,210 | $27.51 | $47,630 to $66,050 | 22,650 |
| California | $55,400 | $26.64 | $46,390 to $65,400 | 158,630 |
| Rhode Island | $52,140 | $25.07 | $44,770 to $61,630 | 5,200 |
| Oregon | $51,740 | $24.88 | $45,460 to $61,020 | 23,150 |
| Minnesota | $51,400 | $24.71 | $44,860 to $60,540 | 31,330 |
| Hawaii | $50,830 | $24.44 | $43,920 to $60,410 | 7,020 |
| New Jersey | $50,260 | $24.16 | $43,200 to $61,370 | 65,960 |
| Maine | $49,820 | $23.95 | $44,750 to $57,570 | 6,740 |
| New York | $49,600 | $23.85 | $43,920 to $59,100 | 122,490 |
| Vermont | $48,920 | $23.52 | $44,340 to $56,620 | 3,360 |
| Colorado | $48,690 | $23.41 | $42,840 to $58,170 | 29,120 |
| Maryland | $48,680 | $23.41 | $41,030 to $59,290 | 54,890 |
| Alaska | $48,530 | $23.33 | $41,760 to $58,910 | 5,390 |
| Illinois | $48,310 | $23.23 | $39,050 to $61,180 | 74,280 |
| New Hampshire | $48,080 | $23.12 | $40,880 to $56,680 | 9,050 |
| Delaware | $47,970 | $23.06 | $40,230 to $58,600 | 6,320 |
| Arizona | $47,940 | $23.05 | $40,510 to $55,860 | 31,220 |
| Wisconsin | $47,710 | $22.94 | $42,360 to $56,030 | 28,100 |
| Virginia | $47,620 | $22.89 | $39,040 to $57,600 | 31,580 |
| North Dakota | $47,480 | $22.83 | $40,270 to $53,880 | 5,800 |
| Utah | $47,050 | $22.62 | $37,930 to $55,260 | 14,870 |
| Nebraska | $46,760 | $22.48 | $39,710 to $54,080 | 16,240 |
| Nevada | $46,570 | $22.39 | $39,440 to $54,500 | 16,790 |
| New Mexico | $46,450 | $22.33 | $38,200 to $55,720 | 25,430 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,270 | $22.25 | $37,980 to $53,090 | 65,310 |
| Ohio | $46,230 | $22.22 | $38,170 to $53,710 | 54,790 |
| Michigan | $46,020 | $22.12 | $38,350 to $53,090 | 40,830 |
| Florida | $45,900 | $22.07 | $37,840 to $53,340 | 104,000 |
| Tennessee | $45,810 | $22.03 | $37,040 to $54,000 | 34,580 |
| North Carolina | $45,790 | $22.01 | $38,100 to $51,870 | 43,690 |
| Wyoming | $45,450 | $21.85 | $38,760 to $50,310 | 2,250 |
| Iowa | $45,150 | $21.71 | $38,040 to $51,070 | 12,830 |
| Texas | $45,140 | $21.70 | $36,030 to $53,540 | 149,650 |
| South Carolina | $44,880 | $21.58 | $36,880 to $52,420 | 30,180 |
| Indiana | $44,270 | $21.29 | $36,860 to $50,050 | 20,100 |
| Kentucky | $44,200 | $21.25 | $36,970 to $51,370 | 18,420 |
| Virgin Islands | $44,040 | $21.17 | $36,680 to $49,110 | 530 |
| Montana | $43,940 | $21.13 | $37,210 to $48,450 | 4,520 |
| Idaho | $43,710 | $21.01 | $36,770 to $49,350 | 7,570 |
| Missouri | $43,540 | $20.93 | $36,750 to $49,930 | 33,180 |
| Kansas | $42,270 | $20.32 | $35,960 to $49,380 | 32,120 |
| South Dakota | $41,700 | $20.05 | $36,280 to $47,670 | 6,120 |
| Alabama | $41,630 | $20.01 | $35,580 to $49,120 | 45,050 |
| Georgia | $41,600 | $20.00 | $32,130 to $52,090 | 44,430 |
| West Virginia | $40,370 | $19.41 | $34,090 to $47,920 | 8,820 |
| Oklahoma | $39,660 | $19.07 | $32,230 to $48,310 | 20,120 |
| Louisiana | $38,790 | $18.65 | $31,840 to $46,710 | 28,040 |
| Arkansas | $37,630 | $18.09 | $31,720 to $46,210 | 8,590 |
| Mississippi | $37,340 | $17.95 | $30,430 to $46,490 | 14,720 |
| Guam | $36,030 | $17.32 | $29,990 to $46,570 | 1,610 |
| Puerto Rico | $25,730 | $12.37 | $22,600 to $29,680 | 17,810 |
Highest paying cities for administrative assistants
The ten metro areas with the highest median, out of the 392 where BLS publishes one.
| Metro area | Median annual | Median hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven, CT | $63,800 | $30.67 | 4,780 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $62,940 | $30.26 | 7,970 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $62,110 | $29.86 | 20,270 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $60,230 | $28.96 | 15,780 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $59,510 | $28.61 | 830 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $59,330 | $28.53 | 28,540 |
| Napa, CA | $58,810 | $28.27 | 630 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $57,720 | $27.75 | 2,150 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | $57,580 | $27.68 | 430 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $57,510 | $27.65 | 960 |
The lowest medians in the 50 states and DC: Hattiesburg, MS ($35,620), Hot Springs, AR ($35,760), Hammond, LA ($35,880), Alexandria, LA ($35,890) and Jonesboro, AR ($35,900).
What it pays where you are
Pick your state or metro area. The wage is the median there; the cost line is what an employer pays once benefits are added.
Administrative assistant, the United States, 40 hours a week
$64,194 a year
$5,350 a month. Wages $47,549 at the median of $22.86 an hour, plus $16,645 in benefits. The middle half of administrative assistants here earn $38,830 to $58,000 in wages.
The routine half of an administrative assistant’s job, for 12% of what one costs.
- Answers the routine email in your voice, from your own inbox, and files what needs filing.
- Books, reschedules and confirms appointments from your own calendar.
- Keeps the records straight across the inbox, the CRM and the calendar, so nothing is typed twice.
Professional is $629 a month, $7,548 a year, against about $64,200 a year for an administrative assistant at the median once benefits are added. On Professional we connect your tools, bring your data in and set up the first rules with you. Anything that moves money waits for your yes.
“Cut our month-end close from 4 days to 4 hours.” Marcus C., owner
$629 a month, or $500 a month on a 12-month term. Prefer to start on your own? Starter is $149 a month, self-serve, with a free trial first: 7 days, no card. More: AI office manager.
What administrative assistants do
Administrative assistants run the office’s daily work: calendars, correspondence, documents, supplies, calls and the small tasks that keep a team moving. BLS counts them under occupation 43-6014, which is the definition every figure on this page uses.
For an employer, the wage is the start: benefits at a small employer add 35%, so an administrative assistant at the median costs about $64,200 a year. The employer’s numbers, by state and metro, are on what an administrative assistant costs. The routine part of the job, the follow-ups, the reconciling, the scheduling, is the part Liaison does inside the tools a business already runs.
Questions
What is the average administrative assistant salary?
The median administrative assistant in the United States earned $47,540 a year, or $22.86 an hour, in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey. The middle half earned between $38,830 and $58,000. The median is the wage half of administrative assistants earn more than and half earn less than, which is a steadier guide than an average.
How much does an administrative assistant make an hour?
The median administrative assistant earns $22.86 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey. At 2,080 hours a year that is $47,540. The middle half earn between $18.67 and $27.88 an hour.
Which states pay administrative assistants the most?
District of Columbia ($59,910), Massachusetts ($57,940), Washington ($57,330), Connecticut ($57,210) and California ($55,400).
Which cities pay administrative assistants the most?
New Haven, CT ($63,800), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($62,940), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($62,110), Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($60,230) and Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA ($59,510), out of the 392 metro areas where BLS publishes a median for administrative assistants.
How many administrative assistants are there?
BLS counted 1,706,790 administrative assistants employed in the United States in May 2025.
What does an administrative assistant cost an employer?
Wages are only part of it. At employers with fewer than 50 workers, benefits add 35% on top of wages (BLS, June 2026), so an administrative assistant at the median costs about $64,200 a year. The employer’s view, by state and metro, is at useliaison.com/back-office-costs/administrative-assistant.
Other roles
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Annual figures assume 2,080 hours a year. Updated 2026-10-02.
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