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Role hub · Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

Executive Assistant: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of executive assistants earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$76,590
Hourly
$36.82
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Executive Assistants 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. The median pay is $76,590 a year ($36.82 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is an associate's degree (34% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$76,590
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
459,910
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation
Most common education
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
34% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants (O*NET-SOC 43-6011.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for Executive Assistants

SalaryExecutive Assistant salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeExecutive Assistant how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →ResumeExecutive Assistant resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsExecutive Assistant interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What executive assistants do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  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.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreSpeakingcoreService OrientationWritingCoordinationSocial PerceptivenessTime ManagementCritical Thinking

Knowledge areas: Administrative, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management.

Tools and technology

Software executive assistants use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Adobe IllustratorGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe InDesignDesktop publishing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft VisioProcess mapping and design softwareHot technology
  • SlackCloud-based data access and sharing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe ContributeWeb page creation and editing software
  • Aestiva Purchase OrderProcurement software
  • DropboxCloud-based data access and sharing software
  • EkoDesktop communications software
  • Fishbowl WarehouseInventory management software
  • Google DriveCloud-based data access and sharing software

Also called: Administrative Aide, Administrative Assistant, Administrative Associate, Administrative Coordinator, Administrative Secretary, Administrative Specialist.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).