Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
43-6013 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.
National estimates for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Industry profile for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Geographic profile for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
National estimates for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 597,100 |
0.8 % |
$ 18.75 |
$ 39,000 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 12.98 |
$ 15.08 |
$ 17.96 |
$ 21.93 |
$ 26.25 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 27,000 |
$ 31,370 |
$ 37,350 |
$ 45,620 |
$ 54,600 |
Industry profile for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Physicians |
186,530 |
7.20 |
$ 18.17 |
$ 37,790 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
150,390 |
2.69 |
$ 18.93 |
$ 39,370 |
| Offices of Dentists |
74,020 |
8.74 |
$ 20.19 |
$ 41,990 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
43,400 |
4.52 |
$ 21.11 |
$ 43,920 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
43,050 |
4.77 |
$ 16.93 |
$ 35,220 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Dentists |
74,020 |
8.74 |
$ 20.19 |
$ 41,990 |
| Offices of Physicians |
186,530 |
7.20 |
$ 18.17 |
$ 37,790 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
43,050 |
4.77 |
$ 16.93 |
$ 35,220 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
43,400 |
4.52 |
$ 21.11 |
$ 43,920 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
7,700 |
2.88 |
$ 19.81 |
$ 41,200 |
Top paying industries for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
Geographic profile for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
97,110 |
5.91 |
1.38 |
$ 22.18 |
$ 46,140 |
| Texas |
76,000 |
6.28 |
1.46 |
$ 17.00 |
$ 35,360 |
| Florida |
36,450 |
4.32 |
1.01 |
$ 16.90 |
$ 35,150 |
| Ohio |
31,780 |
6.19 |
1.44 |
$ 17.54 |
$ 36,480 |
| Michigan |
22,600 |
5.76 |
1.34 |
$ 17.18 |
$ 35,740 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Delaware |
4,970 |
11.65 |
2.71 |
$ 17.79 |
$ 37,000 |
| Alaska |
2,750 |
9.28 |
2.16 |
$ 19.61 |
$ 40,790 |
| Montana |
3,910 |
8.59 |
2.00 |
$ 16.13 |
$ 33,550 |
| Oregon |
14,240 |
7.88 |
1.84 |
$ 20.46 |
$ 42,550 |
| Massachusetts |
22,360 |
6.67 |
1.55 |
$ 21.59 |
$ 44,900 |
Top paying states for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
1,230 |
1.79 |
0.42 |
$ 22.65 |
$ 47,110 |
| California |
97,110 |
5.91 |
1.38 |
$ 22.18 |
$ 46,140 |
| Washington |
8,110 |
2.54 |
0.59 |
$ 22.11 |
$ 45,990 |
| Massachusetts |
22,360 |
6.67 |
1.55 |
$ 21.59 |
$ 44,900 |
| Rhode Island |
1,770 |
3.99 |
0.93 |
$ 21.03 |
$ 43,740 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
35,850 |
6.16 |
1.43 |
$ 21.96 |
$ 45,680 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
23,520 |
6.55 |
1.53 |
$ 17.89 |
$ 37,210 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
17,610 |
6.77 |
1.58 |
$ 21.96 |
$ 45,670 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
16,800 |
5.66 |
1.32 |
$ 17.85 |
$ 37,120 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
14,090 |
1.59 |
0.37 |
$ 21.38 |
$ 44,460 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
13,790 |
3.16 |
0.74 |
$ 18.95 |
$ 39,420 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
12,490 |
5.92 |
1.38 |
$ 18.49 |
$ 38,450 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
12,200 |
5.24 |
1.22 |
$ 25.01 |
$ 52,020 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
11,840 |
4.39 |
1.02 |
$ 19.24 |
$ 40,030 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
11,070 |
4.41 |
1.03 |
$ 17.36 |
$ 36,120 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Angelo, TX |
630 |
13.71 |
3.19 |
$ 15.11 |
$ 31,430 |
| Abilene, TX |
900 |
13.57 |
3.16 |
$ 14.74 |
$ 30,650 |
| Bend-Redmond, OR |
1,070 |
13.36 |
3.11 |
$ 19.40 |
$ 40,350 |
| Corvallis, OR |
440 |
12.56 |
2.92 |
$ 19.00 |
$ 39,520 |
| Medford, OR |
1,020 |
12.17 |
2.84 |
$ 18.06 |
$ 37,570 |
| Grants Pass, OR |
310 |
12.01 |
2.80 |
$ 18.62 |
$ 38,740 |
| Missoula, MT |
700 |
11.81 |
2.75 |
$ 15.92 |
$ 33,110 |
| Great Falls, MT |
400 |
11.59 |
2.70 |
$ 15.92 |
$ 33,120 |
| Lubbock, TX |
1,620 |
11.50 |
2.68 |
$ 14.80 |
$ 30,780 |
| Anchorage, AK |
1,860 |
11.30 |
2.63 |
$ 19.96 |
$ 41,510 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
5,560 |
5.04 |
1.18 |
$ 26.55 |
$ 55,220 |
| Salinas, CA |
520 |
3.05 |
0.71 |
$ 25.92 |
$ 53,900 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
12,200 |
5.24 |
1.22 |
$ 25.01 |
$ 52,020 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
1,040 |
7.79 |
1.81 |
$ 24.74 |
$ 51,470 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
6,430 |
6.63 |
1.55 |
$ 23.64 |
$ 49,170 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
4,910 |
2.51 |
0.58 |
$ 23.47 |
$ 48,820 |
| Portsmouth, NH-ME |
610 |
6.82 |
1.59 |
$ 23.14 |
$ 48,130 |
| Napa, CA |
260 |
3.78 |
0.88 |
$ 22.98 |
$ 47,800 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
1,120 |
5.77 |
1.34 |
$ 22.95 |
$ 47,740 |
| Longview, WA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 22.80 |
$ 47,430 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
| Nonmetropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
2,030 |
10.61 |
2.47 |
$ 14.53 |
$ 30,220 |
| North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) |
1,690 |
5.41 |
1.26 |
$ 14.86 |
$ 30,900 |
| North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
1,230 |
4.59 |
1.07 |
$ 16.06 |
$ 33,410 |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area |
1,200 |
3.17 |
0.74 |
$ 15.54 |
$ 32,320 |
| Big Thicket Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
1,090 |
10.53 |
2.45 |
$ 13.82 |
$ 28,750 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
