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Job outlook for office support specialists in the United States
Office support specialist job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected office support specialist job growth rate is -5% from 2018-2028.
About -130,800 new jobs for office support specialists are projected over the next decade.
Office support specialist salaries have increased 16% for office support specialists in the last 5 years.
There are over 1,029,460 office support specialists currently employed in the United States.
There are 130,301 active office support specialist job openings in the US.
The average office support specialist salary is $36,549.
Are office support specialist jobs in demand?
Office support specialist job and salary trends over time
Office support specialist jobs over time
Office support specialist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,029,460 | 0.31% |
| 2020 | 1,110,450 | 0.33% |
| 2019 | 1,179,089 | 0.35% |
| 2018 | 1,188,441 | 0.36% |
| 2017 | 1,188,442 | 0.36% |
Average office support specialist salary over time
Office support specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $36,549 | $17.57 | +3.8% |
| 2025 | $35,214 | $16.93 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | $33,859 | $16.28 | +3.9% |
| 2023 | $32,587 | $15.67 | +3.0% |
| 2022 | $31,635 | $15.21 | +3.4% |
Office support specialist jobs by state
Most common states for office support specialists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 276 | 40% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 208 | 33% |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 394 | 29% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 212 | 29% |
| 5 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 543 | 28% |
| 6 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 234 | 27% |
| 7 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,709 | 23% |
| 8 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,267 | 21% |
| 9 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 120 | 21% |
| 10 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 2,587 | 20% |
| 11 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 604 | 20% |
| 12 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 596 | 19% |
| 13 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 392 | 19% |
| 14 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,228 | 18% |
| 15 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 884 | 18% |
| 16 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 730 | 18% |
| 17 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 244 | 18% |
| 18 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 193 | 18% |
| 19 | Delaware | 961,939 | 172 | 18% |
| 20 | California | 39,536,653 | 6,900 | 17% |
Most common cities for office support specialists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danvers | 1 | 4% | $46,553 |
| 2 | Schaumburg | 2 | 3% | $35,630 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 1 | 3% | $46,549 |
| 4 | Taunton | 1 | 2% | $46,407 |
| 5 | Boston | 5 | 1% | $46,537 |
| 6 | Lakewood | 1 | 1% | $39,893 |
| 7 | Redwood City | 1 | 1% | $43,088 |
| 8 | Springfield | 1 | 1% | $46,480 |
| 9 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $39,035 |
| 10 | Jacksonville | 1 | 0% | $32,131 |
| 11 | Lincoln | 1 | 0% | $34,306 |
| 12 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $41,796 |
| 13 | Orlando | 1 | 0% | $32,108 |
Office Support Specialist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of office support specialist experts
Missouri University of Science & Technology
Manhattan College
California State University Channel Islands
Ohio University - Lancaster Campus
College of Charleston
Dixie State University
West Virginia State University
Christi Patton Luks
Professor (NTT) and Associate Chair for Academic AffairsMissouri University of Science & Technology
Linda & Bipin Doshi Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
What's a good job out of college for Office Support Specialists?
Christi Patton Luks: A good job out of college is one that can be adapted to the individual's skills and interests and encourages them to stretch. Frequently, students think they want to work in a particular type of job. Once they have it, they discover that it was not what they thought it would be. Many companies rotate new employees through a variety of positions. Those are great for helping people find their own hidden talents. I know that I have discovered abilities that I would not have even attempted when I was 20.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Office Support Specialist job market given the pandemic?
Robert Geraci Ph.D.: Two critical things happened in 2020 that will bring changes to the job market: the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice movements, particularly the Black Lives Matter movement. In the aftermath of COVID-19, I expect we'll see considerable demand for health service professionals as people look to cope with difficulties imposed by isolation. In addition, we'll see shifts in how and where people work--many will be able to remain at home and this will create a shifting landscape of job descriptions and opportunities. Many employees will want to go back to the social experience of working together, but others will prefer the flexibility of working from home.
The impact of Black Lives Matter and other social justice movements will create more interest in the development of products (especially, but not exclusively, in entertainment) that are available to and interesting for a wider swath of society. There will also be growth in business consulting efforts to improve corporate culture. Religious Studies graduates will be particularly well-positioned for such jobs, based on the cross-cultural perspectives gleaned from study in the field.
Amanda Carpenter
DirectorCalifornia State University Channel Islands
Department of Career Development and Alumni Engagement
What technical skills for an Office Support Specialist stand out to employers?
Amanda Carpenter: -Data analytics skills are critical technical skills that stand out to employers in today's market. According to NACE (2018), the use of data analytics is projected to have the most significant impact on an organization's operational efficiency and revenue generation.
-Source (NACE): www.naceweb.org
Brandy Bailey
Career CoachOhio University - Lancaster Campus
Student Services, Career Services
What soft skills should all Office Support Specialists possess?
Brandy Bailey: Soft skills may vary depending on the employer, industry, and personal opinions. My biggest ones are communication skills, adaptability, self-awareness, teamwork, problem-solving, intercultural competency, creativity or innovation, and time management.
What type of skills will young Office Support Specialists need?
Jacob Craig Ph.D.: In school, students are often taught to work by themselves. In some cases, they are even penalized for working with others. In some rare cases, students are asked to do a little group work but only for a short amount of time, at the end of their learning in a class.
The first thing that graduates need to know is that the workplace is nearly opposite from school. Employees, especially professional, technical, and content writer jobs, are more often than not collaborative and teams-based. The added wrinkle is that office culture is unlikely to go back to pre-pandemic occupancy rates.
So graduates need to know is that odds are good that at least part of their job will be remote. And that might be the case for at least part of the time. Announcements from tech, finance, and insurance about their latest work-from-home policies keep making the news. So not only are the chances good that they'll be working in teams, their team members and co-workers won't be in the same room with them. They'll be working collaboratively through writing. This is good news for English graduates. Much of the writing someone in a professional, technical, or content writing job are products meant for public readership. Like press releases that are sent to news outlets. But all of that writing is built on a network of notes, memos, policies, and text threads meant for co-workers. Remote work just means that co-workers will be writing each other more and more often. English graduates who can make texts for public audiences and write effectively to co-workers are positioned to do well.
The second thing that students need to know is how to start and stop writing in the context of someone else's draft. They will rarely begin with a blank screen and end with a finished text.
The third thing is that it's likely small businesses will take some time to bounce back. In those workplace settings, it is likely that an employee will need to have a range of knowledge and skills because their job will combine parts multiple roles. So a copywriter in a small marketing firm might need to also know something about SEO and social analytics and visual design. In larger offices, however, jobs tend to be much more specialized and team-based. So graduates need to be comfortable working in teams where they have an assigned role, and they need to be able to receive work in-process, complete their assigned part, and hand that work off still in-process.
And finally, students need to learn how to learn new technologies. Learn just through documentation, without a human tutorial. Even if employees are exclusively using the Microsoft Suite, it will be used for writing, editing, project management. It will be used to collaborate and present. Depending on where a student studies and what classes they take, those digital pieces might not be a part of their coursework. So, at the very least, students need to know that the workforce will constantly ask them to learn new technologies and new uses for familiar technologies.
Dr. Mike Peterson Ph.D.
Department Chair and Associate Professor of EnglishDixie State University
English Department
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Office Support Specialists to find work opportunities?
Dr. Mike Peterson Ph.D.: The great thing about a degree in English is that graduates can find work anywhere: teaching, freelance writing, technical writing, content production, editing, reporting-you name it. There are ample jobs in small towns and large cities in all of these areas. English degrees are also highly valued in a variety of jobs-such as sales, public relations, marketing, and paralegal work-because employers know these applicants, from day one, will have strong skills in writing, communication, critical thinking, and creative thinking.
Anne McConnell Ph.D.
ProfessorWest Virginia State University
English Department
What general advice would you give to an Office Support Specialist?
Anne McConnell Ph.D.: I would say it's important to be very attentive to the way you communicate with your employers, managers, and co-workers. Even sending an e-mail can be an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and communication skills. Some people think that no one knows how to write anymore, or how to communicate in a professional way. I don't think that's true. But we don't always think about how our writing can be a tool to communicate our competence and seriousness. If you know how to write and communicate professionally-which college grads do-then make sure to demonstrate that in the workplace.