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Job outlook for private secretaries in the United States
Private secretary job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected private secretary job growth rate is -8% from 2018-2028.
About -286,900 new jobs for private secretaries are projected over the next decade.
Private secretary salaries have increased 12% for private secretaries in the last 5 years.
There are over 179,922 private secretaries currently employed in the United States.
There are 11,548 active private secretary job openings in the US.
The average private secretary salary is $33,422.
Are private secretary jobs in demand?
Private secretary job and salary trends over time
Private secretary jobs over time
Private secretary job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 179,922 | 0.05% |
| 2020 | 182,324 | 0.05% |
| 2019 | 200,846 | 0.06% |
| 2018 | 213,357 | 0.06% |
| 2017 | 222,177 | 0.07% |
Average private secretary salary over time
Private secretary salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $33,422 | $16.07 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $32,424 | $15.59 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $31,512 | $15.15 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | $30,617 | $14.72 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $29,955 | $14.40 | +2.7% |
Private secretary jobs by state
Most common states for private secretaries
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 68 | 5% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 32 | 5% |
| 3 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 41 | 4% |
| 4 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 288 | 3% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 230 | 3% |
| 6 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 91 | 3% |
| 7 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 41 | 3% |
| 8 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 22 | 3% |
| 9 | Vermont | 623,657 | 16 | 3% |
| 10 | Florida | 20,984,400 | 332 | 2% |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 244 | 2% |
| 12 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 128 | 2% |
| 13 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 123 | 2% |
| 14 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 113 | 2% |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 113 | 2% |
| 16 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 106 | 2% |
| 17 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 99 | 2% |
| 18 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 78 | 2% |
| 19 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 33 | 2% |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 26 | 2% |
Private Secretary job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of private secretary experts
Ohio University
Missouri University of Science & Technology
California State University Channel Islands
College of Charleston
Dixie State University
West Virginia State University
What hard/technical skills are most important for Private Secretaries?
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.
What skills will help Private Secretaries earn the most?
Allison White: I'll put professionalism at the top of the list, and then specialized skills come second regarding salary. The medical secretary used to be the one to earn top dollar. Now that there are Medical Assisting programs and licenses, the student must seek the special skills in terminology and clinical service from that degree to earn top dollar in the medical field. Employers want office skills (filing, customer service, scheduling, etc.) and clinical skills (vitals, patient intake, registration, etc.). Still, I recommend that those who are inexperienced seek skills and licenses in the area of their personal interest (law office, government office, medical office, education, and more). I took courses in legal terminology and legal office procedures while completing my associate's degree. I also pursued a business analyst certification and the MOS certifications early on. Later, I continued my education by earning a bachelor's degree in a dual major (business administration and marketing).
What skills stand out on Private Secretary resumes?
Allison White: Knowledge of spreadsheets software such as MS Excel is a commonly sought-after skill. Employers want word processing and spreadsheet skills but often say they want high school graduates and pay accordingly. These skills aren't always taught in high school. Those in the field should seek these skills. Additionally, medical and legal assistants have highly sought after. Terminology courses for these specialized areas are sometimes offered at the vocational schools but are usually offered at the post-secondary level.
What soft skills should all Private Secretaries 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!!
Christi Patton Luks
Professor (NTT) and Associate Chair for Academic AffairsMissouri University of Science & Technology
Linda & Bipin Doshi Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Private Secretary job market given the pandemic?
Christi Patton Luks: I think that the pandemic has proven to everyone that online education can work. I think this will increase the number of undergraduates that want to take a course or two online while they are working on internship or co-op positions and professionals returning to school virtually for additional credentials and training. Some engineering jobs have been moved to work-from-home successfully, but many still need to be on site. Flexibility will continue, however.
Amanda Carpenter
DirectorCalifornia State University Channel Islands
Department of Career Development and Alumni Engagement
What technical skills for a Private Secretary 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
What type of skills will young Private Secretaries 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 Private Secretaries 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 a Private Secretary?
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.