Secretaries Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

Nationally, there are 1,940,000 working as secretaries. This occupation has a low ranking for joblessness. The jobless rate for employees was about 3% in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Secretaries per capita is greatest in Carson City (Nevada), Palm Coast (Florida), and Lawton (Oklahoma). Harrisonburg (Virginia), Rochester (Minnesota), and Minneapolis (Minnesota) have the fewest per capita.

The highest salaries for workers are found in Washington (District of Columbia), Oakland (California), and Trenton (New Jersey), and the lowest-paying areas are in Lake Charles (Louisiana), Wheeling (West Virginia), and Laredo (Texas).

Training and Education

Moderate-term on-the-job training is generally expected for employees. Recent data shows that 18% of secretaries have a degree. Workers with some schooling beyond high school, but not a four college degree, represent about 49% of the total. A high school diploma or GED, without further education, is held by 33% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Secretaries working less than full time, whether by design or chance, were 19% of the total. Approximately 1% of people who work as workers are self-employed.

Secretaries: An Introductory Video

Secretaries Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of secretaries compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for secretaries.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Birmingham	$30,000	12,180
Montgomery	$29,000	4,390
Huntsville	$30,000	4,050
Mobile	$27,000	4,000
Tuscaloosa	$29,000	1,940
Dothan	$26,000	1,480
Anniston	$28,000	1,190
Auburn	$28,000	1,140
Florence	$26,000	1,140
Decatur	$27,000	940
Gadsden	$27,000	790

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$35,000	1,620
Fairbanks	$36,000	390

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Phoenix	$30,000	19,020
Tucson	$29,000	4,950
Prescott	$27,000	1,050
Flagstaff	$29,000	980
Kingman	$26,000	960
Yuma	$25,000	720

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Little Rock	$26,000	4,660
Fayetteville	$27,000	3,180
Fort Smith	$24,000	1,440
Hot Springs	$24,000	640
Pine Bluff	$23,000	640
Jonesboro	$23,000	640

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Santa Ana	$36,000	10,200
San Diego	$34,000	9,160
Riverside	$32,000	8,450
Oakland	$40,000	6,550
Sacramento	$35,000	6,420
San Francisco	$39,000	5,750
San Jose	$38,000	4,610
Fresno	$30,000	2,480
Oxnard	$37,000	2,110
Bakersfield	$33,000	1,970
Santa Barbara	$34,000	1,940
Santa Rosa	$36,000	1,510
Stockton	$34,000	1,280
Modesto	$32,000	1,270
Visalia	$28,000	1,210
Salinas	$34,000	980
Vallejo	$36,000	960
San Luis Obispo	$32,000	810
Santa Cruz	$33,000	670
Napa	$36,000	610
El Centro	$28,000	580
Redding	$29,000	570
Merced	$33,000	540
Chico	$29,000	510
Yuba City	$32,000	390
Madera	$26,000	350
Hanford	$31,000	240

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Denver	$33,000	22,180
Colorado Springs	$29,000	5,480
Fort Collins	$30,000	2,930
Boulder	$32,000	2,730
Greeley	$29,000	1,680
Grand Junction	$29,000	1,630
Pueblo	$26,000	1,140

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Hartford	$37,000	8,390
Bridgeport	$37,000	6,640
New Haven	$35,000	4,410
Norwich	$35,000	2,410
Waterbury	$33,000	1,310
Danbury	$35,000	1,040

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$32,000	4,750
Dover	$33,000	1,260

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$42,000	22,840

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Tampa	$27,000	21,710
Miami	$29,000	19,930
Orlando	$27,000	18,010
Fort Lauderdale	$28,000	14,030
West Palm Beach	$30,000	11,090
Jacksonville	$28,000	10,430
Sarasota	$29,000	5,370
Cape Coral	$29,000	4,570
Deltona	$26,000	4,320
Palm Bay	$27,000	4,250
Tallahassee	$27,000	3,760
Pensacola	$27,000	3,750
Lakeland	$26,000	3,710
Port St Lucie	$28,000	3,210
Naples	$29,000	2,660
Gainesville	$27,000	2,490
Ocala	$26,000	2,380
Fort Walton Beach	$28,000	1,720
Punta Gorda	$27,000	1,220
Panama City	$27,000	1,210
Sebastian	$27,000	990
Palm Coast	$27,000	440

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Atlanta	$29,000	24,320
Augusta	$26,000	3,320
Savannah	$25,000	1,930
Columbus	$25,000	1,550
Athens	$26,000	1,390
Macon	$25,000	1,350
Albany	$25,000	1,150
Gainesville	$26,000	1,040
Dalton	$29,000	890
Valdosta	$24,000	800
Brunswick	$23,000	700
Rome	$25,000	580
Warner Robins	$26,000	580
Hinesville	$28,000	150

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$35,000	5,490

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Boise	$31,000	1,630
Coeur Dalene	$29,000	460
Idaho Falls	$28,000	350
Lewiston	$32,000	300
Pocatello	$27,000	270

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Chicago	$33,000	41,980
Champaign	$34,000	2,700
Peoria	$29,000	2,290
Springfield	$30,000	1,760
Rockford	$29,000	1,700
Bloomington	$30,000	810
Decatur	$27,000	690
Kankakee	$26,000	640
Danville	$28,000	380

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Indianapolis	$30,000	13,170
Gary	$29,000	4,220
Fort Wayne	$29,000	3,100
Evansville	$27,000	2,160
South Bend	$28,000	2,040
Lafayette	$28,000	1,350
Elkhart	$28,000	1,320
Terre Haute	$28,000	1,120
Muncie	$29,000	1,080
Bloomington	$27,000	840
Michigan City	$30,000	720
Anderson	$25,000	550
Columbus	$29,000	540
Kokomo	$27,000	530

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Des Moines	$30,000	3,510
Davenport	$27,000	2,190
Cedar Rapids	$28,000	1,380
Iowa City	$34,000	1,330
Waterloo	$27,000	1,010
Dubuque	$25,000	940
Ames	$35,000	830
Sioux City	$26,000	780

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Wichita	$26,000	3,030
Topeka	$25,000	1,460
Lawrence	$27,000	930

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Louisville	$27,000	6,310
Lexington	$27,000	2,790
Owensboro	$25,000	730
Bowling Green	$23,000	640
Elizabethtown	$26,000	610

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New Orleans	$27,000	10,050
Baton Rouge	$27,000	6,360
Shreveport	$26,000	3,200
Lafayette	$25,000	3,060
Houma	$25,000	2,190
Monroe	$24,000	1,750
Lake Charles	$23,000	1,710
Alexandria	$24,000	1,350

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Portland	$32,000	3,050
Bangor	$29,000	1,240
Lewiston	$29,000	640

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Baltimore	$35,000	19,590
Bethesda	$38,000	8,360
Hagerstown	$28,000	1,500
Salisbury	$28,000	850
Cumberland	$28,000	640

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Boston	$39,000	22,280
Springfield	$33,000	4,060
Worcester	$34,000	3,510
Framingham	$38,000	1,820
Brockton	$36,000	1,290
Haverhill	$33,000	1,120
Lowell	$37,000	1,110
Barnstable Town	$35,000	760
New Bedford	$33,000	640
Lawrence	$31,000	550
Leominster	$30,000	450
Pittsfield	$34,000	320
Taunton	$34,000	290

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Warren	$34,000	12,400
Detroit	$34,000	7,720
Grand Rapids	$31,000	4,930
Lansing	$36,000	4,630
Ann Arbor	$35,000	2,270
Flint	$31,000	2,100
Kalamazoo	$29,000	1,740
Holland	$29,000	1,160
Saginaw	$32,000	1,100
Niles	$27,000	960
Muskegon	$31,000	910
Jackson	$32,000	870
Battle Creek	$31,000	700
Bay City	$27,000	550
Monroe	$30,000	450

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Minneapolis	$36,000	6,460
Duluth	$34,000	610
St Cloud	$33,000	500
Rochester	$35,000	360

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Jackson	$27,000	6,350
Gulfport	$27,000	2,480
Hattiesburg	$24,000	1,570
Pascagoula	$25,000	810

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers
St Louis	$31,000	15,650
Kansas City	$29,000	9,690
Springfield	$25,000	1,800
Jefferson City	$28,000	1,350
Columbia	$27,000	1,010
Joplin	$23,000	630
St Joseph	$25,000	570

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Billings	$26,000	1,920
Missoula	$26,000	1,590
Great Falls	$24,000	880

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$28,000	4,830
Lincoln	$28,000	1,870

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Las Vegas	$34,000	7,990
Reno	$34,000	2,590
Carson City	$37,000	1,020

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Nashua	$32,000	1,820
Manchester	$31,000	1,760
Rochester	$29,000	890
Portsmouth	$32,000	790

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Edison	$34,000	20,720
Newark	$35,000	20,630
Camden	$34,000	10,990
Trenton	$39,000	5,410
Atlantic City	$35,000	2,260
Vineland	$32,000	960
Ocean City	$32,000	890

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Albuquerque	$28,000	8,280
Las Cruces	$26,000	1,710
Farmington	$27,000	1,460
Santa Fe	$30,000	1,410

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New York	$34,000	99,450
Nassau	$33,000	27,780
Buffalo	$29,000	11,210
Rochester	$29,000	10,650
Albany	$33,000	9,620
Syracuse	$29,000	5,620
Poughkeepsie	$31,000	5,270
Utica	$29,000	2,330
Binghamton	$27,000	2,280
Kingston	$29,000	1,560
Ithaca	$37,000	1,310
Glens Falls	$28,000	1,240
Elmira	$28,000	640

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Charlotte	$30,000	10,630
Raleigh	$31,000	7,770
Greensboro	$29,000	4,810
Durham	$32,000	3,080
Winston Salem	$29,000	3,080
Asheville	$28,000	2,860
Wilmington	$27,000	2,670
Hickory	$27,000	1,970
Fayetteville	$27,000	1,700
Greenville	$27,000	1,100
Rocky Mount	$28,000	960
Goldsboro	$26,000	840
Burlington	$29,000	770
Jacksonville	$26,000	740

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Fargo	$32,000	770
Grand Forks	$29,000	550
Bismarck	$30,000	530

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Cleveland	$32,000	12,180
Columbus	$33,000	10,270
Cincinnati	$31,000	9,630
Akron	$29,000	4,640
Dayton	$32,000	4,250
Toledo	$28,000	3,460
Youngstown	$27,000	2,950
Canton	$27,000	2,290
Springfield	$28,000	650
Lima	$28,000	590
Mansfield	$28,000	570
Sandusky	$31,000	370

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Oklahoma City	$26,000	7,150
Tulsa	$26,000	5,220
Lawton	$29,000	1,140

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Portland	$33,000	12,600
Salem	$31,000	2,400
Eugene	$29,000	1,940
Medford	$29,000	1,230
Bend	$30,000	830
Corvallis	$32,000	380

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Philadelphia	$32,000	27,230
Pittsburgh	$28,000	15,520
Allentown	$30,000	5,640
Harrisburg	$31,000	4,620
Scranton	$27,000	3,600
Lancaster	$28,000	3,150
Reading	$28,000	2,570
York	$28,000	2,520
Erie	$27,000	1,700
State College	$28,000	1,440
Johnstown	$24,000	1,160
Altoona	$24,000	1,040
Williamsport	$26,000	910
Lebanon	$28,000	830

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$34,000	7,370

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Greenville	$28,000	5,110
Charleston	$31,000	4,300
Columbia	$29,000	4,090
Myrtle Beach	$28,000	1,610
Spartanburg	$30,000	1,550
Florence	$26,000	1,170
Anderson	$27,000	990
Sumter	$27,000	590

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$25,000	1,370
Rapid City	$24,000	1,030

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Nashville	$28,000	8,620
Memphis	$28,000	7,160
Knoxville	$27,000	5,030
Chattanooga	$27,000	2,720
Johnson City	$23,000	1,170
Kingsport	$25,000	1,030
Clarksville	$24,000	880
Jackson	$25,000	750
Morristown	$25,000	590
Cleveland	$24,000	510

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Houston	$28,000	45,860
Dallas	$29,000	32,930
San Antonio	$27,000	15,860
Fort Worth	$29,000	14,010
Austin	$28,000	13,130
El Paso	$24,000	5,800
Mcallen	$23,000	4,230
Corpus Christi	$25,000	3,320
Brownsville	$24,000	3,120
Beaumont	$26,000	2,830
Killeen	$24,000	2,600
Amarillo	$24,000	2,390
College Station	$26,000	2,260
Lubbock	$26,000	2,130
Longview	$24,000	2,030
Tyler	$25,000	2,030
Waco	$25,000	1,950
Laredo	$23,000	1,790
Abilene	$24,000	1,500
Odessa	$24,000	1,410
Wichita Falls	$25,000	1,350
Midland	$27,000	1,320
Victoria	$23,000	1,110
Texarkana	$26,000	980
San Angelo	$23,000	980
Sherman	$26,000	760

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Salt Lake City	$29,000	10,540
Ogden	$27,000	3,520
St George	$25,000	1,260
Logan	$25,000	1,110

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$29,000	1,750

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Virginia Beach	$31,000	3,920
Richmond	$33,000	2,650
Roanoke	$31,000	710
Lynchburg	$27,000	540
Charlottesville	$35,000	440
Winchester	$28,000	310
Blacksburg	$26,000	290
Harrisonburg	$29,000	200
Danville	$25,000	160

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Seattle	$36,000	11,810
Tacoma	$36,000	3,150
Spokane	$33,000	2,020
Olympia	$38,000	1,970
Kennewick	$34,000	1,270
Yakima	$31,000	1,050
Bremerton	$36,000	910
Bellingham	$32,000	830
Mount Vernon	$34,000	500
Wenatchee	$33,000	480
Longview	$33,000	440

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Charleston	$25,000	2,340
Huntington	$24,000	1,520
Wheeling	$23,000	940
Parkersburg	$26,000	900
Morgantown	$26,000	610
Weirton	$24,000	530

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Milwaukee	$31,000	10,110
Madison	$33,000	4,580
Green Bay	$29,000	1,990
Appleton	$31,000	1,270
Oshkosh	$31,000	1,070
Eau Claire	$28,000	1,020
Racine	$29,000	860
Wausau	$26,000	850
Janesville	$27,000	800
La Crosse	$29,000	740
Sheboygan	$30,000	500
Fond	$31,000	460

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cheyenne	$26,000	990
Casper	$26,000	960

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