Research Summary. Using a combination of public government and company data as well as data gathered from thousands of job postings, the Zippia data team has created average salary estimates for jobs across the US. Using that data set, the team has identified the types of secretaries that are the highest paid based on their average annual salaries.
Here is a summary of our findings for the highest-paying types of secretaries:
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Assistant Secretary is the highest-paid type of secretary with an average salary of $107,366 and an average hourly rate of $51.62.
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The second highest-paying type of secretary is executive secretary, with an average salary of $46,594.
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The average secretary salary is $36,442 per year, and the average hourly pay is $17.52.
Table Of Contents: Background | Table | Methodology | FAQs
Background
Choosing a career path can be difficult, and while pay shouldn’t be the only thing you consider in your decision, it is a significant factor. So if you’d like to work as a secretary, it helps to have an idea of what the highest-paid types of secretaries are so that you can plan your career progression.
Here are the top salaries for different types of secretaries:
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Assistant Secretary
Average Salary: $107,366
An assistant secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of various departments and management personnel and ensure the efficiency of business functions. Assistant secretaries usually assist in business communications, responding to customers’ inquiries and concerns, reaching out to existing clients to schedule appointments, welcoming guests on the office, and routing calls to the appropriate department. They also handle data entry procedures, updating customer information on the database, as well as creating reports on business and financial transactions.
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Executive Secretary
Average Salary: $46,594
The primary role of executive secretaries is to provide clerical support to an executive or a high-level administrator. They are the ones who conduct the different administrative support tasks for executives which include managing the calendar of executives, answering phone calls, conducting research and sorting important files, preparing and proofreading monthly reports and industry documents that are relevant to the role of executives, and performing some bookkeeping activities such as invoice creation and office inventory tracking.
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Legal Secretary
Average Salary: $41,725
Legal secretaries are employees in a law firm who are responsible for many administrative tasks. They handle the tasks such as filing and keeping records, ensuring that all documents are stored properly, and update contact information data and other essential office databases. They must also be knowledgeable on the law because they are, at times, assigned to draw up legal documents such as motions and subpoenas, conduct legal research, and write up other important office memoranda. Legal secretaries should be organized, trustworthy, and level-headed.
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Administrative Professional
Average Salary: $39,486
An administrative professional specializes in performing administrative support and clerical tasks in a company or office, ensuring accuracy and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around managing schedules, arranging appointments and meetings, producing progress reports and presentations, delegating tasks, and attending meetings on behalf of executives or staff. There are also instances when an administrative assistant must answer calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries and concerns, welcome guests, relay messages, and provide staff with any support tasks or documents.
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Administrative Specialist
Average Salary: $38,758
An administrative specialist is in charge of various clerical tasks to support supervisors and management staff. Their responsibility is to act as the main point of contact among clients through answering calls and responding to inquiries, managing schedules, arranging appointments and travel, addressing complaints and resolving internal issues, managing payroll, and keeping an organized database. Furthermore, an administrative specialist can also conduct research and analysis, prepare reports and other forms of documentation, and coordinate workflow in a particular area.
Below is a full table of the average pay for various secretary that pay the most followed by a more detailed explanation of our methodology.
Highest-Paying Types Of Secretaries
Methodology
Zippia uses publicly published information from government sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLC), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to create its salary estimates.
Our data science team also checks job postings and company-published resources for additional up-to-date salary information for secretaries.
Once they’ve gathered the data, the team calculates a weighted average for each job title they’re estimating a salary for. For more details on our salary estimates, you can read the detailed methodology.
Highest-Paying Types Of Secretary Jobs FAQs
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What is the highest-paid secretary job?
The highest-paid secretary job is an assistant secretary. Assistant Secretaries earn an average salary of $107,366, which is $ 51.62 hourly.
An assistant secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of various departments and management personnel and ensure the efficiency of business functions. Assistant secretaries usually assist in business communications, responding to customers’ inquiries and concerns, reaching out to existing clients to schedule appointments, welcoming guests on the office, and routing calls to the appropriate department. They also handle data entry procedures, updating customer information on the database, as well as creating reports on business and financial transactions.
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What is a good salary for a secretary?
A good salary for a secretary is $36,442 or more. The average secretary salary is $36,442, so those making at least $36,442 are earning above-average paychecks.
Keep in mind, however, that the average secretary salary does fluctuate based on location, as companies will adjust their pay scales based on the cost of living in that area. Research what the average salary is in your area for someone of your expertise and experience level to get a more accurate view on how well you’re being paid.
In addition, if you’re just starting your career as a secretary, the average entry level salary is $26,551, so don’t base your opinion of your salary on the $36,442 average, as this includes all secretaries of all skill and experience levels.
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Do Secretary jobs pay well?
No, secretary jobs don’t pay well. As in any industry, some secretary jobs pay better than others, but the average secretary salary of $36,442 is times the average national salary of about $44,225 per year.
In addition to this, many secretary jobs have high earning potential, with the top 10% of secretaries earning $59,363 a year on average.
Secretaries’ salaries will fluctuate based on their experience level, industry, and location, so pay attention to these factors when you’re looking for a job as a secretary. Do your research on the going rate for a secretary in your area with your expertise, and don’t be afraid to negotiate your salary based on that information.
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Where do secretaries get paid the most?
Secretaries get paid the most in Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, secretaries earn an average annual salary of $43,694 and an average hourly wage of $21.01.
Following MA, the states with the highest-paid secretaries are Connecticut, Washington, and New York, with average annual salaries of $43,775, $42,318, and $39,836 respectively.
The cities with the highest-paid secretary salaries are:
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San Francisco, CA – $47,908
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Boston, MA – $43,608
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Washington, DC – $43,233
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Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
