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Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in California
Get the information you need to know about working as a Secretary or Administrative Assistant.
While jobs for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in California are decreasing, those who do work in these jobs get paid higher than average.
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Employment for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in California is expected to decrease.
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Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.
What Major Will Prepare You For a Secretary or Administrative Assistant Career?
- Business, Management & Marketing
- Business Support & Assistant Services
- General Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science
- Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary
How Many Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Work in California?
In 2018, there were 238,840 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants working in the state.
There were 239,080 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants employed in this state in 2017.
That’s a decline of 240 jobs between 2017 and 2018.
The typical state has 29,550 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants working in it, which means California has more Secretaries and Administrative Assistants than average.
Job Projections for California
Jobs for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in this state are declining at a rate of 4.5% which is a slower decline than the nationwide estimated projection of
California Annual Job Openings
The BLS estimates there will be 23,450 annual job openings, and 225,400 total jobs in 2026 for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in this state.
Nationwide, the prediction is 244,300 annual jobs and 2,371,300 total jobs in 2026.
What do Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Make in California?
In 2018 wages for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants ranged from $26,430 to $62,310 with $42,250 being the median annual salary.
Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $12.71 to $29.96. The median hourly rate was $20.31.
Workers in this field were paid a median of $19.47 an hour in 2017.
The hourly rate grew by $0.84.
The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.
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Top California Metros for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Metro | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 92,170 | $42,250 |
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | 33,060 | $48,140 |
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 20,030 | $38,730 |
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | 19,720 | $40,970 |
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 14,460 | $47,060 |
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA | 13,610 | $39,070 |
Fresno, CA | 4,850 | $37,970 |
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 4,740 | $39,910 |
Bakersfield, CA | 3,910 | $39,560 |
Santa Rosa, CA | 3,150 | $43,520 |
Stockton-Lodi, CA | 2,790 | $39,410 |
Modesto, CA | 2,590 | $37,750 |
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 2,400 | $44,690 |
Visalia-Porterville, CA | 2,180 | $36,590 |
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA | 2,030 | $41,970 |
Salinas, CA | 1,990 | $42,540 |
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 1,530 | $38,790 |
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 1,440 | $43,410 |
Chico, CA | 1,280 | $34,170 |
Redding, CA | 1,110 | $35,170 |
Merced, CA | 1,000 | $42,750 |
Napa, CA | 940 | $44,840 |
El Centro, CA | 650 | $40,780 |
Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 500 | $36,750 |
Yuba City, CA | 490 | $37,300 |
Madera, CA | 480 | $36,450 |
Top States for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Employment
The table below shows the states where most Secretaries and Administrative Assistants work.
State | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
---|---|---|
California | 238,840 | $42,250 |
New York | 178,520 | $40,110 |
Texas | 176,480 | $34,250 |
Florida | 142,550 | $33,540 |
Pennsylvania | 93,280 | $35,300 |
Missouri | 69,510 | $33,750 |
Illinois | 67,780 | $36,200 |
Georgia | 66,330 | $33,420 |
Ohio | 66,030 | $35,550 |
New Jersey | 62,790 | $41,400 |
Maryland | 56,670 | $40,230 |
Michigan | 55,410 | $35,920 |
North Carolina | 55,380 | $36,330 |
Tennessee | 48,410 | $33,720 |
Alabama | 46,100 | $34,650 |
Arizona | 44,980 | $34,680 |
Massachusetts | 41,540 | $46,440 |
Virginia | 41,390 | $37,890 |
Colorado | 38,610 | $37,360 |
South Carolina | 34,550 | $34,790 |
Below are the states where Secretaries and Administrative Assistants get paid the most:
State | Annual Median Salary |
---|---|
District of Columbia | $48,220 |
Massachusetts | $46,440 |
Connecticut | $45,260 |
Rhode Island | $42,710 |
California | $42,250 |
Washington | $41,970 |
New Jersey | $41,400 |
Alaska | $41,150 |
Maryland | $40,230 |
New York | $40,110 |
Related Careers in California
You may also be interested in the following careers:
Occupation | California Employment Total |
---|---|
Medical Secretaries | 83,410 |
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | 70,850 |
Legal Secretaries | 26,220 |
References
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
More about our data sources and methodologies.