Executive assistant salary in 2026
The median executive assistant in the United States earns $76,590 a year, or $36.82 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey, published this year. The middle half of executive assistants earn between $61,390 and $94,390.
Where you work matters more than anything else: District of Columbia pays a median of $90,850, New Jersey $89,520, and the highest paying metro area, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, $106,220. There are 459,910 executive assistants in the country.
Liaison does the routine half of an executive assistant’s job for 7% of what one costs. See how.
Executive assistant salary by state
Median annual and hourly wage, the range the middle half earn, and how many executive assistants work in each state. Click a state for its cities.
| State | Median annual | Median hourly | Middle half earns | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $90,850 | $43.68 | $77,990 to $102,310 | 4,560 |
| New Jersey | $89,520 | $43.04 | $74,840 to $103,290 | 11,690 |
| California | $89,000 | $42.79 | $72,110 to $107,090 | 59,640 |
| Massachusetts | $82,650 | $39.73 | $69,560 to $100,170 | 14,820 |
| Connecticut | $82,520 | $39.67 | $69,570 to $101,060 | 6,490 |
| Hawaii | $80,710 | $38.81 | $66,150 to $97,890 | 1,440 |
| New York | $80,640 | $38.77 | $68,470 to $100,400 | 88,890 |
| Virginia | $80,330 | $38.62 | $63,480 to $98,770 | 10,360 |
| Washington | $79,250 | $38.10 | $72,670 to $90,570 | 11,560 |
| Delaware | $78,920 | $37.94 | $64,160 to $92,550 | 1,320 |
| Maryland | $78,540 | $37.76 | $64,470 to $94,000 | 13,960 |
| Minnesota | $78,470 | $37.73 | $64,810 to $91,540 | 7,970 |
| Rhode Island | $77,820 | $37.41 | $64,460 to $90,620 | 950 |
| Oregon | $75,480 | $36.29 | $63,940 to $86,870 | 6,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,270 | $36.19 | $59,890 to $85,970 | 12,910 |
| Illinois | $74,390 | $35.76 | $57,590 to $93,180 | 14,900 |
| New Mexico | $73,890 | $35.53 | $64,870 to $82,840 | 2,800 |
| Texas | $71,990 | $34.61 | $58,790 to $87,040 | 34,520 |
| New Hampshire | $71,650 | $34.45 | $57,090 to $86,810 | 1,210 |
| Arizona | $70,770 | $34.03 | $57,910 to $84,040 | 6,490 |
| Vermont | $70,770 | $34.02 | $63,880 to $80,450 | 770 |
| North Carolina | $70,140 | $33.72 | $58,480 to $83,260 | 8,890 |
| Ohio | $69,600 | $33.46 | $57,640 to $82,460 | 10,940 |
| Alabama | $69,450 | $33.39 | $56,760 to $83,140 | 2,880 |
| Wisconsin | $68,920 | $33.14 | $59,270 to $78,400 | 4,480 |
| Georgia | $68,290 | $32.83 | $58,930 to $81,080 | 14,560 |
| Tennessee | $68,190 | $32.78 | $56,370 to $79,840 | 5,360 |
| Nevada | $67,830 | $32.61 | $55,720 to $83,890 | 2,670 |
| Michigan | $66,840 | $32.14 | $57,570 to $81,050 | 9,030 |
| Alaska | $66,210 | $31.83 | $56,490 to $79,500 | 1,320 |
| Nebraska | $66,210 | $31.83 | $56,100 to $79,380 | 1,860 |
| Colorado | $65,850 | $31.66 | $57,920 to $82,620 | 10,340 |
| Kansas | $64,860 | $31.19 | $57,090 to $78,220 | 2,750 |
| Florida | $64,710 | $31.11 | $51,590 to $81,190 | 19,220 |
| Maine | $64,100 | $30.82 | $54,570 to $75,650 | 2,320 |
| West Virginia | $63,820 | $30.68 | $52,110 to $77,990 | 860 |
| Kentucky | $62,410 | $30.01 | $52,050 to $75,650 | 2,700 |
| Iowa | $62,340 | $29.97 | $51,450 to $71,390 | 4,150 |
| North Dakota | $61,270 | $29.46 | $52,570 to $75,140 | 540 |
| Utah | $61,130 | $29.39 | $47,620 to $76,630 | 5,440 |
| South Carolina | $60,890 | $29.28 | $50,290 to $77,160 | 3,880 |
| Missouri | $60,320 | $29.00 | $50,650 to $76,820 | 8,500 |
| Idaho | $60,200 | $28.94 | $51,030 to $79,430 | 1,180 |
| Oklahoma | $59,910 | $28.81 | $49,830 to $74,320 | 2,810 |
| Montana | $59,750 | $28.73 | $51,140 to $67,720 | 550 |
| Indiana | $59,080 | $28.41 | $49,740 to $73,450 | 5,060 |
| Virgin Islands | $56,720 | $27.27 | $40,260 to $64,600 | 170 |
| Mississippi | $55,670 | $26.77 | $44,870 to $70,880 | 1,240 |
| South Dakota | $55,170 | $26.53 | $48,980 to $62,390 | 1,230 |
| Louisiana | $53,240 | $25.60 | $43,710 to $63,500 | 9,270 |
| Wyoming | $52,210 | $25.10 | $48,380 to $59,800 | 560 |
| Arkansas | $51,600 | $24.81 | $43,940 to $66,480 | 2,070 |
| Guam | $43,930 | $21.12 | $39,520 to $55,910 | 80 |
| Puerto Rico | $37,120 | $17.85 | $30,700 to $47,340 | 7,100 |
Highest paying cities for executive assistants
The ten metro areas with the highest median, out of the 383 where BLS publishes one.
| Metro area | Median annual | Median hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $106,220 | $51.07 | 5,300 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $105,190 | $50.57 | 11,250 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $100,930 | $48.52 | 1,710 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $92,240 | $44.34 | 490 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $90,320 | $43.42 | 12,960 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $87,910 | $42.27 | 3,530 |
| Vallejo, CA | $86,190 | $41.44 | 230 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $85,260 | $40.99 | 11,290 |
| Napa, CA | $84,640 | $40.69 | 180 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $84,540 | $40.64 | 4,510 |
The lowest medians in the 50 states and DC: Bloomington, IN ($40,770), Enid, OK ($46,480), Homosassa Springs, FL ($47,450), Alexandria, LA ($47,450) and Monroe, LA ($48,310).
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.
Executive assistant, the United States, 40 hours a week
$103,396 a year
$8,616 a month. Wages $76,586 at the median of $36.82 an hour, plus $26,810 in benefits. The middle half of executive assistants here earn $61,390 to $94,390 in wages.
The routine half of an executive assistant’s job, for 7% of what one costs.
- Runs the calendar: books, moves and confirms, and writes the brief before each meeting.
- Drafts the replies and follow-ups in your voice, from your own inbox, and sends the ones you have approved.
- Pulls the numbers and the open threads into one morning note.
Professional is $629 a month, $7,548 a year, against about $103,400 a year for an executive 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 executive assistant.
What executive assistants do
Executive assistants support one or more executives directly: their calendar, travel, inbox, meetings, and the follow-through on what the executive decides. BLS counts them under occupation 43-6011, 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 executive assistant at the median costs about $103,400 a year. The employer’s numbers, by state and metro, are on what an executive 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 executive assistant salary?
The median executive assistant in the United States earned $76,590 a year, or $36.82 an hour, in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey. The middle half earned between $61,390 and $94,390. The median is the wage half of executive assistants earn more than and half earn less than, which is a steadier guide than an average.
How much does an executive assistant make an hour?
The median executive assistant earns $36.82 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey. At 2,080 hours a year that is $76,590. The middle half earn between $29.51 and $45.38 an hour.
Which states pay executive assistants the most?
District of Columbia ($90,850), New Jersey ($89,520), California ($89,000), Massachusetts ($82,650) and Connecticut ($82,520).
Which cities pay executive assistants the most?
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($106,220), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($105,190), Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT ($100,930), Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA ($92,240) and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($90,320), out of the 383 metro areas where BLS publishes a median for executive assistants.
How many executive assistants are there?
BLS counted 459,910 executive assistants employed in the United States in May 2025.
What does an executive 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 executive assistant at the median costs about $103,400 a year. The employer’s view, by state and metro, is at useliaison.com/back-office-costs/executive-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.
See it on your own business.
Thirty minutes with us, on your own tools. Bring the thing that eats your evenings and watch it get handled from your own inbox, calendar and books.
Professional is $629 a month and we set it up with you. Starter is $149 a month, self-serve, with the free trial first: 7 days, no card. Every plan is on the pricing page.