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.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
State licensing. CareerOneStop's licensing data records no state license for Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, which usually means it is not a licensed occupation. Requirements can still vary by employer and state.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 43 professional certifications to Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants. 8 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Administrative Assistant (PA), Administrative Assisting, Certified Administrative Professional (CAP), Certified Parliamentarian (CP), Certified Professional Parliamentarian (CPP). Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. On average, workers stand or walk about 1.0 hours and sit about 6.9 hours per day. The typical heaviest weight lifted or carried is about 5.0 pounds. For 86.4% of workers the job requires sedentary strength. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (93.6%), have a consistently fast work pace (34.9%), cannot pause their work (11.3%), and are exposed to the outdoors (1.7%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants ages 25 to 64, median yearly pay is $73,100 with a high school diploma or GED, $72,100 with some college or an associate's degree, $76,100 with a bachelor's degree and $81,200 with a master's degree or higher (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants work in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (14%), Finance and Insurance (14%), Health Care and Social Assistance (11%) and Educational Services (10%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants are Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (8% of the jobs counted, median pay $75,710), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (7% of the jobs counted, median pay $80,280), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (7% of the jobs counted, median pay $66,300), Management of Companies and Enterprises (6% of the jobs counted, median pay $83,020) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Computer Systems Design and Related Services ($84,450), Management of Companies and Enterprises ($83,020), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities ($83,020). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
What workers studied. Among executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Business Management and Administration (10%), General Business (7%), Communications (7%) and Psychology (6%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Injury and illness rates. For executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants, employers reported 7.3 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 5 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Office and administrative support", which includes this career, 8.7% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,145 for union members and $963 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Office and administrative support", which includes this career, 78% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 80% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 88% had paid sick leave, 88% paid vacation and 90% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $38.27 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Office and administrative support" in June 2026 ($25.47 in wages and salaries and $12.80 in benefits, 33.5% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants are: telephone conversations (100%), e-mail (100%), importance of being exact or accurate (98%), determine tasks, priorities and goals (95%), spend time sitting (92%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (92%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (29% of 50 respondents) was "over 2 years, up to and including 4 years"; for on-site or in-plant training, the most common answer (31% of 50 respondents) was "none"; for on-the-job training, the most common answer (39% of 50 respondents) was "anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants in the work done and the skills used: Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive, Administrative Services Managers, Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Office Clerks, General, First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers, Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping, Correspondence Clerks, Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Pay by state. See what executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants earn in each state, with the pay range and number of jobs: Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants salary by state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025).
Compare executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary
CIP 52.0402