Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary: $44,640 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 830,760 medical secretaries and administrative assistants work nationally, and $44,640 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 1.6% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| 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 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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants grew from 357,460 in 2009 to 463,400 in 2025 (29.6%).
Historical employment for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$44,640 Median pay (BLS national)
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants earn $44,640 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 116,890 employees, $54,420 avg wage
- FL: 80,430 employees, $42,370 avg wage
- TX: 72,810 employees, $41,520 avg wage
- NC: 45,540 employees, $41,830 avg wage
- NY: 34,170 employees, $49,390 avg wage
- TN: 31,780 employees, $41,060 avg wage
- OH: 29,970 employees, $43,360 avg wage
- MI: 27,440 employees, $42,080 avg wage
- PA: 26,270 employees, $43,440 avg wage
- IL: 24,150 employees, $45,040 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 45,160 employees, $52,350 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 32,640 employees, $51,230 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 24,250 employees, $44,090 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 21,500 employees, $42,240 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 17,950 employees, $46,480 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 16,790 employees, $43,220 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 16,540 employees, $52,620 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 16,500 employees, $45,710 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 14,250 employees, $42,250 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 14,000 employees, $62,900 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 U.S. workforce for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants is about 830,760 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants earn $44,640 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.