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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
656,640 0.9 % $ 19.11 $ 39,740 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 13.96 $ 14.77 $ 18.01 $ 22.39 $ 25.78
Annual Wage (2) $ 29,040 $ 30,710 $ 37,450 $ 46,570 $ 53,630


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 213,240 7.91 $ 18.33 $ 38,130
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 154,220 2.76 $ 19.45 $ 40,450
Offices of Dentists 89,180 9.18 $ 20.76 $ 43,170
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 46,750 4.81 $ 17.18 $ 35,720
Outpatient Care Centers 43,570 4.41 $ 21.23 $ 44,160

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 89,180 9.18 $ 20.76 $ 43,170
Offices of Physicians 213,240 7.91 $ 18.33 $ 38,130
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 46,750 4.81 $ 17.18 $ 35,720
Outpatient Care Centers 43,570 4.41 $ 21.23 $ 44,160
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 8,600 2.92 $ 18.07 $ 37,590

Top paying industries for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) (8) (8) $ 34.81 $ 72,410
Legal Services 720 0.06 $ 22.51 $ 46,820
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 80 0.02 $ 22.44 $ 46,680
Personal Care Services (8) (8) $ 21.90 $ 45,550
Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses 110 0.02 $ 21.83 $ 45,410


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.



Map of employment of medical secretaries and administrative assistants by state, May 2021


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 98,120 5.94 1.27 $ 22.31 $ 46,400
Texas 64,740 5.30 1.14 $ 17.50 $ 36,390
Florida 55,190 6.41 1.38 $ 17.21 $ 35,800
New York 44,290 5.11 1.10 $ 20.46 $ 42,560
Pennsylvania 35,180 6.30 1.35 $ 18.16 $ 37,770


Map of location quotient of medical secretaries and administrative assistants by state, May 2021


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 5,050 11.60 2.49 $ 18.60 $ 38,680
Montana 4,360 9.26 1.99 $ 17.03 $ 35,420
Oregon 15,000 8.22 1.76 $ 21.31 $ 44,330
Vermont 2,090 7.36 1.58 $ 19.60 $ 40,770
Alaska 2,120 7.15 1.53 $ 20.41 $ 42,460


Map of annual mean wages of medical secretaries and administrative assistants by state, May 2021


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 1,120 1.69 0.36 $ 23.02 $ 47,880
Washington 7,830 2.44 0.52 $ 22.68 $ 47,170
California 98,120 5.94 1.27 $ 22.31 $ 46,400
Massachusetts 23,850 7.03 1.51 $ 22.18 $ 46,130
Rhode Island 1,790 3.90 0.84 $ 21.90 $ 45,560



Map of employment of medical secretaries and administrative assistants by area, May 2021


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)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 36,640 4.22 0.91 $ 21.31 $ 44,320
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 30,930 5.41 1.16 $ 22.11 $ 45,980
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 18,860 7.30 1.57 $ 22.50 $ 46,800
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 18,430 5.14 1.10 $ 18.68 $ 38,840
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 17,080 4.04 0.87 $ 19.48 $ 40,520
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 17,060 6.43 1.38 $ 19.95 $ 41,490
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 16,710 6.82 1.46 $ 18.02 $ 37,470
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 15,250 5.26 1.13 $ 18.26 $ 37,990
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 13,250 5.91 1.27 $ 25.14 $ 52,300
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 11,420 5.40 1.16 $ 19.09 $ 39,700


Map of location quotient of medical secretaries and administrative assistants by area, May 2021


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)
Rochester, MN 2,260 19.46 4.18 $ 20.58 $ 42,810
Abilene, TX 960 13.98 3.00 $ 15.25 $ 31,710
San Angelo, TX 640 13.83 2.97 $ 15.27 $ 31,770
Medford, OR 1,090 12.71 2.73 $ 19.57 $ 40,700
Bend-Redmond, OR 1,050 12.52 2.69 $ 20.07 $ 41,740
Springfield, IL 1,160 11.99 2.57 $ 17.94 $ 37,320
Corvallis, OR 420 11.93 2.56 $ 19.72 $ 41,030
Missoula, MT 670 11.17 2.40 $ 16.67 $ 34,670
Great Falls, MT 380 11.08 2.38 $ 16.40 $ 34,120
Carbondale-Marion, IL 550 10.77 2.31 $ 15.58 $ 32,410


Map of annual mean wages of medical secretaries and administrative assistants by area, May 2021


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 5,920 5.54 1.19 $ 26.93 $ 56,010
Napa, CA 450 6.56 1.41 $ 25.30 $ 52,630
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 13,250 5.91 1.27 $ 25.14 $ 52,300
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 760 5.85 1.26 $ 24.68 $ 51,340
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 4,670 2.43 0.52 $ 24.00 $ 49,920
Portsmouth, NH-ME 500 5.67 1.22 $ 23.41 $ 48,690
Barnstable Town, MA 560 5.81 1.25 $ 23.25 $ 48,360
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 250 2.22 0.48 $ 23.23 $ 48,320
Santa Rosa, CA 1,180 6.15 1.32 $ 22.81 $ 47,440
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 7,870 7.01 1.51 $ 22.76 $ 47,330

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 1,640 8.65 1.86 $ 14.89 $ 30,960
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 1,470 3.92 0.84 $ 15.62 $ 32,490
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 1,290 9.30 2.00 $ 17.21 $ 35,790
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,220 7.45 1.60 $ 14.48 $ 30,110
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 1,160 5.54 1.19 $ 16.45 $ 34,210

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 840 11.07 2.38 $ 16.94 $ 35,230
Big Thicket Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,060 10.26 2.20 $ 14.03 $ 29,170
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 930 9.77 2.10 $ 14.76 $ 30,700
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 1,290 9.30 2.00 $ 17.21 $ 35,790
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,640 8.65 1.86 $ 14.89 $ 30,960

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 490 5.04 1.08 $ 21.97 $ 45,690
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 290 4.99 1.07 $ 20.98 $ 43,640
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 390 3.27 0.70 $ 20.88 $ 43,430
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.33 0.07 $ 20.54 $ 42,730
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 160 5.10 1.09 $ 20.29 $ 42,200


About May 2021 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.

(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022