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Job outlook for senior office administrators in the United States
Senior office administrator job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected senior office administrator job growth rate is -8% from 2018-2028.
About -286,900 new jobs for senior office administrators are projected over the next decade.
Senior office administrator salaries have increased 8% for senior office administrators in the last 5 years.
There are over 634,134 senior office administrators currently employed in the United States.
There are 85,744 active senior office administrator job openings in the US.
The average senior office administrator salary is $38,396.
Are senior office administrator jobs in demand?
Senior office administrator job and salary trends over time
Senior office administrator jobs over time
Senior office administrator job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 634,134 | 0.19% |
| 2020 | 637,467 | 0.19% |
| 2019 | 666,912 | 0.20% |
| 2018 | 664,455 | 0.20% |
| 2017 | 657,858 | 0.20% |
Average senior office administrator salary over time
Senior office administrator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $38,396 | $18.46 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $37,194 | $17.88 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $36,662 | $17.63 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $36,170 | $17.39 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | $35,697 | $17.16 | +3.2% |
Senior office administrator jobs by state
Most common states for senior office administrators
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 268 | 39% |
| 2 | Alaska | 739,795 | 210 | 28% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,551 | 23% |
| 4 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,193 | 21% |
| 5 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 141 | 19% |
| 6 | Vermont | 623,657 | 121 | 19% |
| 7 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 566 | 18% |
| 8 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 106 | 18% |
| 9 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,273 | 17% |
| 10 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 685 | 17% |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 234 | 17% |
| 12 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 176 | 17% |
| 13 | Delaware | 961,939 | 162 | 17% |
| 14 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,143 | 16% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 920 | 16% |
| 16 | Florida | 20,984,400 | 3,119 | 15% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 549 | 15% |
| 18 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 483 | 15% |
| 19 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 287 | 15% |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 157 | 15% |
Most common cities for senior office administrators
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | White Bear Lake | 1 | 4% | $40,992 |
| 2 | Lombard | 1 | 2% | $41,060 |
| 3 | Saint Cloud | 1 | 1% | $41,089 |
| 4 | Anchorage | 1 | 0% | $36,152 |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $37,439 |
| 6 | Seattle | 1 | 0% | $49,460 |
Senior Office Administrator job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of senior office administrator experts
University of Nebraska - Omaha
Tarleton State University
University of Illinois at Chicago
International Association of Administrative Professionals
Walsh University
Davenport University
California Baptist University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
The University of Texas Permian Basin
University of Illinois - Chicago
Pennsylvania State University
Appalachian State University
What general advice would you give to a Senior Office Administrator?
Janice Garnett Ed.D.: Negotiate based on research, develop a career development plan, focus on enhancing performance, professional growth, and continuous learning.
Dr. Jacqueline Abernathy
Assistant ProfessorTarleton State University
Public Administration
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Senior Office Administrator job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Jacqueline Abernathy: I think one of the most significant changes to the job market is how the pandemic forced employers to do business virtually if they wanted to do business at all. For non-essential businesses, they had to find a way for employees to work at home if they wanted employees to keep working. This means that jobs that were originally considered location-bound were found to be done remotely, some with little to no modifications.
What this means is that some employers have reconsidered the costs of maintaining physical office space for workers that could telecommute and would rather work at home. Instead of paying rent and utilities for all employees to work in cubicles, they could export those costs to the employee using the spare bedroom they pay for, and home internet, phone, power, the water they pay for themselves. This cost-saving epiphany could affect employers and jobseekers alike in several ways. If a job can be done from anywhere, it means that those who are interested in a job can apply regardless of where they live.
This means a wider pool of talent for employers to choose from instead of just those willing to live within commuting distance. It also means more potential opportunities for jobseekers that might not be willing or able to relocate. But there is a downside, and that is that it increases competition for available jobs. The labor pool is no longer limited to those with skills and experience in a metro area, so those seeking a job are no longer just up against other locals anymore. This means those on the job market might have a more difficult job finding ways to set themselves apart. I think it means more opportunities, potentially, but greater challenges getting hired and a need to find ways to make themselves more marketable than they may have needed to be when labor pools were shallower.
What Senior Office Administrator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Jacqueline Abernathy: I think this piggybacks a little bit on what I said above on finding a way to distinguish oneself from the competition. Anything done during a gap year would hopefully yield some knowledge, skill, or ability that can be listed as a bullet point on their resume that others may not have. Suppose a student just wants to travel to China for a while and see the Great Wall. "Back-packed in the Orient" would not be a resume bullet but "conversational in Mandarin" would be. To a lesser extent, "Cultural competency with Chinese colleagues and associates" would be, and if asked, the student could explain their familiarity with Chinese customs and etiquette came from extensive time abroad. That might give the students an advantage in certain jobs, but just being able to speak another language could be a job in itself, like as a translator. Whatever a student does during a gap year, ideally, they should walk away with a skill that someone will pay for.
Unfortunately, because of economic realities, a lot of students just take the year off to work and they work in a job where a year of experience won't necessarily count for much (if anything) when they graduate with their expected degree. This goes for both high school graduates and college graduates taking a break before their next degree. I've read the arguments about the benefits of taking a gap year, but aside from students that are on a waiting list for a prestigious program who just have time to kill, I personally find the concept of a gap year to be ill-advised as a general rule, more so between an undergraduate degree and masters or masters and doctorate. Often times the pitfalls outweigh the benefits at any stage. It just presents an opportunity for life to get in the way of something a student knows they want to do, or it delays it. Someone fresh out of high school taking a gap year to get a skill that they think will benefit them in their career after graduation might find themselves in a completely different career by the time they graduate. And university graduates who plan to further their education- taking a break or just working for a while before graduate school can put them at a disadvantage. Taking a break makes graduate school potentially harder once they have gotten used to living without that stress, the transition back to a student can be unnecessarily difficult than if they went straight through.
Those who start their career with a bachelor's degree when they know they need more than can make life choices and financial commitments that are very difficult to keep in grad school. Perhaps they financed a car or became invested in a project they don't want to abandon but would have easier with a master's degree. Or they start a family and now have to juggle caring for and providing for their family with getting the next degree they need when caring for family would have likely been easier if they had an advanced degree. My bachelor's degree was in social work and many of my classmates decided that they just wanted to work for a while before attending grad school, only to find their return to school delayed and all of the experience they gain with that license not translating into an advantage after they graduated and were looking for a job with the higher license. Essentially many of them just had to play catch-up to those that went straight through and started their career at a higher level. Starting at one level when you know that you need the next level can just be lost time, especially since starting with a bang would only put off working for two years to get the next degree.
I had classmates that intended to go back after a year or two, but by the time they intended to return, they fell in love, got married, had beautiful babies, and all of these blessings meant that they couldn't walk away from a job and health insurance to study full-time. This meant it was harder and took far longer and increased their time working for lower pay, whereas if they hadn't taken a break, they would be working full-time at a higher pay with no classes to juggle. I'm not suggesting that people put off life until school is done or delay marriage, children, or buying a home in favor of going back to school if that is their next step in life, only that they can't assume that it'll be easy to just pick up where they left off if they choose to wait.
Less fortunate things can happen as well, like health crises and caregiving, developing an illness, or having to care for aging parents. These things would have been easier if they have chosen to go straight through. These are some reasons why I think taking a gap year is risky. But if anybody wants to take a gap year, I would be conscientious not to commit to anything that would delay returning to school or not make up for that time by giving them a competitive edge. Otherwise, a year off can easily turn into a decade and it can just add up to lost time.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Senior Office Administrators?
James R. Thompson Ph.D.: The coronavirus pandemic has made apparent the vital role the government plays in addressing society's larger problems. It will attract new people to the field of public administration and strengthen the commitment of those already in the field to their careers.
What type of skills will young Senior Office Administrators need?
Veronica Cochran: Those entering the administrative profession in the upcoming years will find it beneficial to understand what it means to be a strategic partner to their direct manager/supervisor, department, and organization at-large. As strategic partners, their role will extend beyond being a support person. It will involve strategically aligning oneself to fulfilling the organization's mission and vision while achieving business outcomes and success. The following skills will optimize both professional and organizational effectiveness:
1. Time management and organization
2. High EQ and interpersonal communication
3. Leadership effectiveness and accountability
4. Relationship management - (high inclusion capacity and high collaboration)
5. Problem-solving and innovation
6. Strategic planning and adaptability
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Senior Office Administrators to find work opportunities?
Dr. Julie Szendrey: The industries that will have more demand for marketing graduates provide products/services that have increased demand because of the pandemic.
It would help if you looked at those organizations that have done well over the past few months. The "place" to find work as a marketer is now less of a physical location and more of a virtual location/website as the workforce has gone virtual at an accelerated pace.
How do you envision technology impacting Senior Office Administrators in the next 5 years?
Marjolijn Van der Velde Ph.D.: Strange as it sounds, the one constant we can count on changes. While we may not know exactly what tech skills will be necessary, knowing that we need to be continuous learners will help us keep up with the rapid rate of change we can expect over the next five years.
What type of skills will young Senior Office Administrators need?
Wayne Fletcher: Interestingly, as you speak to employers, this has not changed over the last 20+ years. I had a conversation with my advisory board last week and discussed this question. Employers, generally speaking, are seeking students with good soft skills. By soft skills, I am referring to the ability to effectively communicate across different mediums, the ability to critically think through situations, and the ability to demonstrate self and situational awareness (emotional intelligence).
However, additional elements our advisory board identifies are personal integrity and decision making from an ethical perspective. Employers expect that an accounting major, or a finance major, or (fill in the blank) will possess the knowledge and technical competencies to perform entry-level professional work. And, if a graduate is smart, they can be trained to work in a specific business. However, soft skills take a long time to develop - and employers often don't believe they have the time or capability to focus on that specific aspect of new employee development.
Domenick Celentano
LecturerFairleigh Dickinson University
Department of Management and Entrepreneurship
How do you envision technology impacting Senior Office Administrators in the next 5 years?
Domenick Celentano: Remote work will become the norm for most organizations. Currently, we are relying on synchronous video (Zoom, for example) for team collaboration, which is limited in replicating in-person collaboration. Advances in both Artificial/Augmented Reality will lessen the need for in-person collaboration of all sorts because the technology will provide the look and, most importantly, the feel of face-to-face contact. Additionally, 5G technology will allow broad access to high-speed video and data that far exceeds what remote workers currently have via cable and telecom providers.
What Senior Office Administrator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Wayne Counts: Accounting is a field where there is almost always a demand. Regardless of whether a business is booming or in decline, someone has to keep track of it and report it. With the steady increase in the public sector, there is always an increased demand to make sure the taxpayers are getting what they are paying for, so assurance services seem to keep rising in demand.
How do you envision technology impacting Senior Office Administrators in the next 5 years?
Christopher Westland: We will continue to see the evolution of trends that we only started paying attention to during the dot-com boom. Information technologies will increasingly substitute for the physical plant in chemistry, biology, medicine, aerospace, and manufacturing. This will make work both transportable and increasingly indistinguishable from what we, today, would call information systems and computer science.
Computer speed, data storage, and network bandwidth are all growing exponentially, every passing year, opening up new fields for virtual modeling and transcending geography. My predictions: in the coming five years, we will begin to see the wholesale replacement of blue-collar jobs by robotics (e.g., truck and taxi drivers, retail salespersons, and security, surveillance, and law enforcement). Universities will see an urgent new demand for programs, but will need to be on their toes.
As the workplace changes, universities will need to add programs that are "fast and filling," allowing students to study hard for short periods, enter into the workforce, and come back for "top-ups" (e.g., executive programs, certificate programs, short degree programs) perhaps every five years as the world and the workplace change. Many of these new offerings will be online, perhaps in an immersive "gaming" format, and will be vastly different from the "lecture hall" courses that have defined university classes in the past.
How do you envision technology impacting Senior Office Administrators in the next 5 years?
Michelle Gordon: Technology constantly propels business innovation and vice versa. Technology will continue to create exponential improvements in production, logistics, communication, and customer relationship management. The business embraces continuous improvement, and savvy business graduates need to embrace the concept of life-long learning to position themselves for ongoing success!
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Senior Office Administrators to find work opportunities?
David Marlett Ph.D.: Our graduates are finding jobs throughout the country. Given our geographic footprint and degree, Richmond, Charlotte, and Atlanta are the hot spots.
How do you envision technology impacting Senior Office Administrators in the next 5 years?
David Marlett Ph.D.: The impact of technology is going to be massive in insurance like all other professions. Risk identification is going to be more accurate because of the new sources of data and better analytics. Claims will be handled faster using AI, remote working, and drones. Jobs are going to change; skill sets will need to be updated. It will be easier for the current students and recent graduates, in my opinion. We are racing to keep our curriculum current and doing our best to prepare students. They are also just more naturally comfortable with technology and not as upset about moving away from the traditional system.