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Job outlook for general office assistants in the United States
General office assistant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected general office assistant job growth rate is -5% from 2018-2028.
About -130,800 new jobs for general office assistants are projected over the next decade.
General office assistant salaries have increased 16% for general office assistants in the last 5 years.
There are over 874,503 general office assistants currently employed in the United States.
There are 131,527 active general office assistant job openings in the US.
The average general office assistant salary is $30,764.
Are general office assistant jobs in demand?
General office assistant job and salary trends over time
General office assistant jobs over time
General office assistant job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 874,503 | 0.26% |
| 2020 | 943,420 | 0.28% |
| 2019 | 1,001,392 | 0.30% |
| 2018 | 1,008,175 | 0.30% |
| 2017 | 1,007,134 | 0.31% |
Average general office assistant salary over time
General office assistant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $30,764 | $14.79 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | $29,640 | $14.25 | +4.0% |
| 2023 | $28,500 | $13.70 | +3.9% |
| 2022 | $27,429 | $13.19 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | $26,628 | $12.80 | +3.4% |
General office assistant jobs by state
Most common states for general office assistants
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 345 | 50% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,312 | 34% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 270 | 28% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 202 | 27% |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 347 | 26% |
| 6 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 192 | 25% |
| 7 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 412 | 24% |
| 8 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 321 | 24% |
| 9 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 943 | 23% |
| 10 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 822 | 23% |
| 11 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 435 | 23% |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,858 | 22% |
| 13 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 237 | 22% |
| 14 | California | 39,536,653 | 7,768 | 20% |
| 15 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,478 | 20% |
| 16 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 172 | 20% |
| 17 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 108 | 19% |
| 18 | Vermont | 623,657 | 111 | 18% |
| 19 | New York | 19,849,399 | 3,415 | 17% |
| 20 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,500 | 17% |
Most common cities for general office assistants
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duluth | 1 | 3% | $25,040 |
| 2 | Lansing | 2 | 2% | $31,100 |
| 3 | Berwyn | 1 | 2% | $27,688 |
| 4 | Coon Rapids | 1 | 2% | $30,794 |
| 5 | Clearwater | 1 | 1% | $26,459 |
| 6 | Elgin | 1 | 1% | $27,709 |
| 7 | Escondido | 1 | 1% | $32,098 |
| 8 | Fort Myers | 1 | 1% | $26,355 |
| 9 | Lehigh Acres | 1 | 1% | $26,330 |
| 10 | Rockville | 1 | 1% | $33,779 |
| 11 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $27,701 |
| 12 | Cincinnati | 1 | 0% | $27,378 |
| 13 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $31,124 |
| 14 | Irvine | 1 | 0% | $32,353 |
| 15 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $32,544 |
| 16 | Newark | 1 | 0% | $30,864 |
| 17 | Riverside | 1 | 0% | $32,301 |
General Office Assistant job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of general office assistant experts
Ohio University
What soft skills should all General Office Assistants possess?
Allison White: Employers have told me repeatedly that soft skills are often the most important. They will ask for my reference after I've gotten to know a student and been able to identify their communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. They want someone to take the initiative yet know when to ask questions. Customer service skills and confidentiality were also voiced by our internship supervisors. Verbal and non-verbal communication is a must. The applicant must be able to write well!!
What hard/technical skills are most important for General Office Assistants?
Allison White: In addition to production software skills, including MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, we often taught database skills using MS Access. Every employer has an employee database and a customer/client database that requires input and sometimes maintenance by office personnel. Keyboarding (65+ wpm), basic bookkeeping/accounting, and filing skills are a must.