Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Office and Administrative Support · SOC 43-6011 · O*NET 43-6011.00
Provide high-level administrative support by conducting research, preparing statistical reports, and handling information requests, as well as performing routine administrative functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings. May also train and supervise lower-level clerical staff.
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants fall under the Office and Administrative Support category in the U.S. occupational classification. Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants earn a median salary of $74,260 per year, ranking in the top 30% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -1.6% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants earn?
The median annual wage for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants is $74,260. That puts executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants at #240 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $48,300 |
| 25th percentile | $60,000 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $74,260 |
| 75th percentile | $90,440 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $107,710 |
| Median hourly wage | $35.70/hr |
Is executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants is -1.6%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 502K positions in 2024 to 494K in 2034, a net change of -8K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
- 2.Make travel arrangements for executives.
- 3.Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
- 4.Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
- 5.Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.
- 6.Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.
- 7.Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
- 8.Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals.
Top skills for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become executive secretaries and executive administrative assistant?
Many executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$66,140 median
- Brokerage Clerks$62,940 median
- Postal Service Clerks$61,630 median
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$57,770 median
- Postal Service Mail Carriers$57,490 median
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators$56,530 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
What is the median salary for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants?
The median annual salary for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants is $74,260 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants a growing career?
BLS projects -1.6% growth for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become executive secretaries and executive administrative assistant?
The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants?
Related occupations within the Office and Administrative Support category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.