Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary: $55,592 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 830,760 medical secretaries and administrative assistants nationally earn a mean of $55,592. Projections imply about 1.6% annual growth; CA accounts for about 109,790 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants: what the data shows
Common questions about medical secretaries and administrative assistants careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a medical secretaries and administrative assistants?
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-6013.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 830,760 workers.
What does a medical secretaries and administrative assistants do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Processing Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing Administrative Activities, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a medical secretaries and administrative assistants make?
BLS national median annual wage: $44,640 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $55,592 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,890 |
| 25th percentile | $45,734 |
| Median (50th) | $53,855 |
| 75th percentile | $63,254 |
| 90th percentile | $75,584 |
What education do you need?
For Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Medicine and Dentistry. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is medical secretaries and administrative assistants in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 8.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 17.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 830,760.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do medical secretaries and administrative assistantss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 830,760 | 17.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 778,830 | 16.5% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 753,180 | 15.9% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 521,720 | 11.0% |
| Hospitals | 418,500 | 8.9% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 391,860 | 8.3% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistants | 793,460 | $44,200 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,737,820 | $46,290 |
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 154,540 | $54,140 |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 131,320 | $45,980 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants workforce.
Employment Over Time
830,760 Workforce in 2023
The Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$55,592 Average Wage
In 2023, Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants earned an average of $55,592.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Salary distribution for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Employment Growth Projections
1.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
502,555 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 8.4%
545,018 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 17.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Wage Trends by Industry
4.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 109,790 employees, $55,852 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 32,600 employees, $53,974 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 12,560 employees, $52,192 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 10,750 employees, $52,190 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 10,320 employees, $54,397 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 7,640 employees, $57,482 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 7,090 employees, $62,747 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 6,210 employees, $66,325 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 5,890 employees, $68,453 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 3,190 employees, $49,728 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 2,740 employees, $55,183 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Diversity
Demographic information on Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in 2023 was 830,760 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in 2023 were Business Administration, Medical Assisting, Health Sciences.
Common majors for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants workers.
Education level distribution for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Skills
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Writing.
Required skills for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Medicine and Dentistry, Personnel and Human Resources.
Knowledge areas required for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants include Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Daily Activities
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Processing Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
About
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
The average yearly wage for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants was $55,592 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-6013 - Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants reports an average salary of $55,592.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 830,760 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.