Salary Requirements for an Administrative Assistant
The employment outlook is bright for administrative assistants, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Large numbers of openings in this career occur each year due to average job growth and workers changing occupations, including those who advance from secretarial work into higher-level positions. About 75 percent of all administrative assistants earn at least $11 per hour as of 2010; you might take this into consideration when determining your salary requirements during your job hunt.
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Salary Range
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Administrative assistants had an average wage of $15.38 per hour in 2010, translating to $32,000 per year, says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those in the 25th to 75th percentile of the salary scale were making $11.88 to $18.35 per hour, or $24,710 to $38,160 per year. This middle range may be the most representative pay scale for all administrative assistants, but the average differs with the type of employment and location.
Types of Employment
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You might need to vary your salary requirements depending on the type of organization. If you apply to local or state government agencies, you could expect a salary offer of about $16 to $17 per hour on average, as of 2010. Administrative assistant jobs with real estate agencies had an average rate of $13.85 per hour in 2010, elementary and secondary schools average $15.76 per hour, general hospitals average $16.29 per hour and colleges and universities average $16.42 per hour. Religious organizations paid administrative assistants $13.80 per hour on average, and business, professional, labor and political organizations paid an average of $15.80 per hour.
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Salary by State
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Your salary requirements also depend on the state where you work. The largest number of administrative assistants work in New York state, where the average hourly pay rate was $16.72 in 2010. Texas and Florida also have large numbers of these workers, earning about $14 per hour on average. In the highest-paying states -- Massachusetts, Alaska and Connecticut -- administrative assistants can expect to earn about $18.50 to $19 per hour on average.
Salary by Metro Area
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In four U.S. metropolitan areas in 2010, administrative assistants earned $20 per hour or more on average. The top-paying metro area in the country was the Washington, D.C. region, including Arlington and Alexandria in Virginia, and parts of Maryland and West Virginia. The average salary there was $20.97 per hour, or $43,610 per year. Administrative assistants in the greater San Francisco area made about $20.30 to $20.70 per hour on average, and in the greater Trenton, New Jersey, and the greater Boston, Massachusetts, areas, they made about $20 per hour on average.
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