$110,000
National median base
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The national median base salary for an Executive Assistant is $110,000, but the figure that matters is the one for your role, your city, and your level. Every number is in the free 26-page report.
Free · Compensation, benefits, flexibility & retention data · Updated for 2026
The big salary sites report about $73,000 for an “administrative assistant,” because they blend every level of the profession together. Our survey concentrates on the roles that support senior executives: Executive Assistants, Chiefs of Staff, and EA/PA hybrids, where scope, discretion, and pay all run higher. That’s the market we recruit in every day, and it’s the market the report measures.
A note on the data: these are figures from our 2026 survey of the profession, not C-Suite Assistants’ own placement records. The assistants we place concentrate in senior executive support and generally command salaries at the higher end of these ranges.
After twenty years of placing EAs, four things separate a top-of-range role from a mid-range one, and none of them is tenure alone:
One of the biggest findings from our survey is that title alone is no longer the best predictor of compensation. Today’s highest-paid Executive Assistants often manage projects, operations, board communications, and executive priorities that extend well beyond traditional administrative responsibilities. Here are the national medians by role; the full report adds the 25th–75th percentile ranges, salary by city across 13 metros, and pay by experience, education, and industry.
| Role | Median base | 25th–75th range |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of Staff | $150,000 | 🔒 In the report |
| EA / PA Hybrid | $132,000 | 🔒 In the report |
| Office Manager | $112,500 | 🔒 In the report |
| Executive Assistant | $110,000 | 🔒 In the report |
Compensation varies considerably by geography: major executive markets command significantly higher salaries than the national median. Here are four of the thirteen metros the report covers; the full report adds the 25th–75th range for every metro and the nine cities below.
| Metro | Median base | 25th–75th range |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco / Silicon Valley | $144,000 | 🔒 In the report |
| New York City | $141,000 | 🔒 In the report |
| Greenwich / Fairfield County | $140,000 | 🔒 In the report |
| Washington, DC | $132,000 | 🔒 In the report |
Benchmark your compensation, benefits, and workplace offerings against current market trends. Gain insight into what today’s administrative professionals value most, identify potential retention risks, and make more informed hiring and workforce planning decisions.
Better understand your market value and how your compensation compares across titles, industries, experience levels, and work arrangements. Use these insights to navigate career decisions, compensation conversations, and professional development opportunities with confidence.
Published by C-Suite Assistants, a specialized recruiting and staffing firm with 20+ years of experience placing Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants, Chiefs of Staff, and administrative leaders across the United States.
The full 26-page report adds Chief of Staff and EA/PA Hybrid salary by city, pay by industry and company size, benefits and equity breakdowns, retention and satisfaction detail, and the methodology.
