Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants Salary in Houston, TX (2024)
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earn a median of $75,110 per year ($36.11 per hour) based on 7,070 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +1.1% against the national median of $74,260 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants actually sit across the pay range in Houston, TX, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $24.03 | $49,990 | |
| 25th percentile | $28.30 | $58,860 | |
| Median | $36.11 | $75,110 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $42.53 | $88,470 | |
| 90th percentile | $49.28 | $102,500 | |
| Average (mean) | $36.35 | $75,600 |
How Houston, TX compares
The local median of $75,110 runs +1.1% above the US median of $74,260 for this occupation; it pays 54.9% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($48,490); within the metro it ranks 209th of 677 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Houston, TX — this occupation | $75,110 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $74,260 | +1.1% |
| Houston, TX — all occupations | $48,490 | +54.9% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $101,130 | -25.7% |
A location quotient of 0.71 sits slightly below the national average, meaning the occupation accounts for a smaller share of local employment than it does across the US.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 1.6%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 209th of 677 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Houston, TX
To put $75,110 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 209th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $235,490 | 900 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $220,420 | — |
| Podiatrists | $213,840 | 70 |
| Physicists | $212,050 | 130 |
| Anesthesiologists | $202,830 | 1,190 |
| Pediatricians, General | $187,590 | 1,280 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $172,810 | 5,510 |
| Dentists, General | $170,170 | 1,410 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | $168,280 | 1,760 |
| Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $167,680 | 50 |
Where executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $61,370 to $101,130. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $101,130 | 11,920 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $83,270 | 79,590 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $83,130 | 12,610 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $82,630 | 5,820 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $81,130 | 12,790 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81,110 | 6,880 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $80,340 | 22,660 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $78,960 | 5,960 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $78,340 | 9,510 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $77,900 | 2,730 |
See the full national picture on the Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants in Houston, TX?
The median annual wage is $75,110, or $36 per hour. That means half of the executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants working in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $75,600.
What do the highest and lowest paid executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants in Houston, TX earn?
The bottom 10% earn $49,990 or less, while the top 10% earn $102,500 or more — a spread of $52,510 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $58,860 and $88,470.
Is executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants pay in Houston, TX above the local average?
Yes, it is 54.9% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $48,490. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Houston, TX pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $75,110 the metro median is 1.1% higher than the US median of $74,260 for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $61,370 to $101,130.
How many executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants work in Houston, TX?
BLS counts about 7,070 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 2.18 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. A location quotient of 0.71 sits slightly below the national average, meaning the occupation accounts for a smaller share of local employment than it does across the US.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 8.1%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.