Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive pay in California
$57,710avg. a year
$27.74 an hour · 158,630 employed
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in California earn an average of $57,710 a year. That is $8,360 (17%) more than the U.S. average of $49,350. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $66,410.
$55,400Median pay
$27.74Average hourly
+24%Avg. pay since 2020
#5Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying California metro areas
Average pay for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive by metro area. Swipe to see all 25.
17,970 jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$66,410
$31.93 an hour
220,270 jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$66,110
$31.78 an hour
3630 jobs
Napa, CA
$59,840
$28.77 an hour
42,150 jobs
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
$59,530
$28.62 an hour
5960 jobs
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
$58,460
$28.11 an hour
61,500 jobs
Salinas, CA
$57,800
$27.79 an hour
71,110 jobs
Vallejo, CA
$57,740
$27.76 an hour
82,980 jobs
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
$56,810
$27.31 an hour
912,070 jobs
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
$56,800
$27.31 an hour
1058,800 jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$56,320
$27.08 an hour
118,450 jobs
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
$56,290
$27.06 an hour
121,390 jobs
Visalia, CA
$55,480
$26.67 an hour
132,310 jobs
Stockton-Lodi, CA
$55,220
$26.55 an hour
141,930 jobs
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
$55,180
$26.53 an hour
1513,210 jobs
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$54,980
$26.43 an hour
161,830 jobs
Modesto, CA
$54,800
$26.34 an hour
17300 jobs
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
$54,470
$26.19 an hour
18620 jobs
Merced, CA
$54,030
$25.97 an hour
19520 jobs
Yuba City, CA
$53,390
$25.67 an hour
202,730 jobs
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
$53,140
$25.55 an hour
211,170 jobs
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$52,990
$25.48 an hour
22580 jobs
Redding, CA
$52,740
$25.36 an hour
23540 jobs
El Centro, CA
$52,660
$25.32 an hour
243,870 jobs
Fresno, CA
$52,440
$25.21 an hour
25810 jobs
Chico, CA
$51,700
$24.86 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive pay in California, charted
Pay over time
California, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where California secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · California highlighted · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $45k$45k–$48k$48k–$51k$51k+California
California vs. neighbors
Average pay, May 2025
| Area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $49,350 | $23.73 |
| California | $57,710 | $27.74 |
| Oregon | $54,070 | $25.99 |
| Arizona | $50,130 | $24.10 |
| Nevada | $48,160 | $23.16 |
Related jobs in California
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$56,350
- Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants$92,220
- Customer Service Representatives$54,640
- Office Clerks, General$51,880
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$82,290
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$60,830
Average pay, California, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive make in California?
The average is $57,710 a year, and the median is $55,400. That is $8,360 (17%) more than the U.S. average of $49,350.
What is the hourly wage in California?
$27.74 an hour on average; the median is $26.64.
Where in California do they earn the most?
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($66,410), followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($66,110). The lowest average among 25 metro areas with data is Chico, CA ($51,700).
How does California rank?
California ranks #5 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 43-6014. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.