How much does a Secretarial make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Secretarial in the United States is $211,049 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $101.

However, a Secretarial's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $247,086
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $191,826 to $229,912
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $174,324

Key Factors That Influence Secretarial Salaries

A Secretarial's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Secretarial Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Secretarial's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $204,107
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $205,709
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $207,845
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $210,515
  • Expert (over 8 years): $213,185
Levels Salary
Entry Level Secretarial$204,107
Intermediate Level Secretarial$205,709
Senior Level Secretarial$207,845
Specialist Level Secretarial$210,515
Expert Level Secretarial$213,185

Top Paying Cities for Secretarials

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $266,196
  • San Francisco: $263,282
  • Oakland: $257,733

What Skills Can Increase a Secretarial's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Customer Service (Mentioned in 7.96% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
  • Word Processing (Mentioned in 3.66% Job Postings): word processing, operation in which a text-editing software program called a word processor is used to create a document on a computer. A word-processing system can produce a wide variety of documents, including letters, memoranda, and manuals, rapidly and at relatively low cost.
  • Mortgage Loans (Mentioned in 1.93% Job Postings): A mortgage loan or, simply, mortgage (/ˈmɔːrɡɪdʒ/) is used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or alternatively by existing property owners to raise funds for any purpose, while putting a lien on the property being mortgaged. The loan is "secured" on the borrower's property through a process known as mortgage origination. This means that a legal mechanism is put into place which allows the lender to take possession and sell the secured property ("foreclosure" or "repossession") to pay off the loan in the event the borrower defaults on the loan or otherwise fails to abide by its terms. The word mortgage is derived from a Law French term used in Britain in the Middle Ages meaning "death pledge" and refers to the pledge ending (dying) when either the obligation is fulfilled or the property is taken through foreclosure. A mortgage can also be described as "a borrower giving consideration in the form of a collateral for a benefit (loan)".
Skills Demand Percentage
Customer Service 7.96%
Word Processing 3.66%
Mortgage Loans 1.93%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Secretarial's salary.

  • Diagnostic Testing: Can increase your salary by up to 25%.
  • Coordination: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
  • Billing: Can increase your salary by up to 18%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Diagnostic Testing $263,811
25%
Coordination $253,259
20%
Billing $249,038
18%

Secretarial Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Secretarial roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 120% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Financial Services and Software & Networking sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 60% above the average. In contrast, Secretarial positions in Transportation or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Secretarial as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Secretarial

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Financial Services$337,678$162.060%
Software & Networking$284,916$137.035%
Pharmaceuticals$263,811$127.025%
Healthcare$253,259$122.020%
Aerospace & Defense$242,706$117.015%

How Education impacts a Secretarial's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Secretarials enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Secretarial with a Bachelor's Degree is between $219,190 and $246,762).

Secretarial Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Secretarial
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 25.6%
High School 25.6%
Associates 18.3%
Bachelors 31.7%
Masters 12.2%
Doctorate 12.2%

Secretarial Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Secretarial's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$191,826
Average $211,049/year
$229,912
$15,986
Average $17,587/month
$19,159
$3,689
Average $4,059/week
$4,421
$92
Average $101/hour
$111
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $229,912 $19,159 $4,421 $111
Average $211,049 $17,587 $4,059 $101
25th Percentile $191,826 $15,986 $3,689 $92

Most common benefits for Secretarial

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Secretarial

Here are companies hiring for Secretarial and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Secretarial

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Secretarial?

The Financial Services industry offers the highest average compensation for Secretarial roles, with salaries approximately 60% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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