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Admin Assistant Training and Jobs


Schools and Degrees

Vocational education at the high school level teaches skills required of admin assistants. Office admin courses are also offered by community colleges and vocational technical schools in one or two year programs. Some placement agencies also impart training in office skills and computers.

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Training and Education

You'll generally want moderate-term on-the-job training for this career path. Of current admin assistants, 18% graduated from college with degrees. Some 49% of workers attened college but did not go on to get a bachelor's degree. A high school education was sufficient for 33% of employees.


Job Overview

Admin assistants coordinate and execute the administrative works of an office. They also store, organize and recover information to circulate to clients and staff.


Job Requirements

Certification testifies the proficiency and capability of admin assistants. The International Association of Administrative professional is one such association that offers certifications. The designation of Certified Administrative Professional is usually earned when an aspirant meets the educational and experience requirements and passes an exam.

Experience and qualification is important to advance in this profession. Admin assistants may be later promoted to become a senior admin assistant or office manager.

Admin assistants need to be proficient in typing, verbal communicators, and be capable in grammar and spelling. They also need to have excellent interpersonal skills as they deal with people on a regular basis. Good judgment, organizational skills and prudence are virtues which a good admin assistant should possess. They also need to be flexible to adapt to the changing office environment.


Nature of Work

Admin assistants manage the communication and information in an organization. Their main responsibility is to program and plan appointments and arrange electronic and paper files. They also handle photocopiers, fax machines, scanners and videoconferencing. They manage databases, write mail and create spreadsheets, presentations and reports using computers. They also prepare schedules for the meetings of committees and executive boards. Sometimes, they also need to prepare statistical reports and even conduct research.

Admin assistants usually work in corporate environments, schools and government agencies. They generally work forty hours per week. Their profession requires them to sit for long hours and continuous working at the computer may lead to eyestrain and back problems. They may even suffer from stress and ailments dues to repetitive motion.


Area Job Conditions

Finding admin assistants is easiest in Carson City (Nevada), Palm Coast (Florida), and Lawton (Oklahoma), and by comparison more challenging in Harrisonburg (Virginia), Rochester (Minnesota), and Minneapolis (Minnesota).

The pay is best in Washington (District of Columbia), Oakland (California), and Trenton (New Jersey) and worst in Lake Charles (Louisiana), Wheeling (West Virginia), and Laredo (Texas).


Part-Time and Self Employment

Admin assistants working part-time accounted for 19% of those employed in 2008. Self-employed workers represent an estimated 1% of the total.


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Admin Assistants by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Anniston $31,000 930 +69%
Auburn $33,000 1,230 +132%
Birmingham $32,000 11,560 +70%
Decatur $30,000 880 +35%
Dothan $27,000 1,350 +88%
Florence $28,000 1,010 +59%
Gadsden $29,000 730 +80%
Huntsville $32,000 3,980 +43%
Mobile $30,000 4,000 +71%
Montgomery $31,000 4,460 +106%
Tuscaloosa $31,000 1,940 +68%

Alaska

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Anchorage $39,000 1,850 -17%
Fairbanks $35,000 420 +13%

Arizona

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Flagstaff $30,000 970 +41%
Kingman $27,000 810 +42%
Phoenix $32,000 20,830 -15%
Prescott $29,000 1,020 +55%
Tucson $32,000 6,240 +34%
Yuma $26,000 850 +25%

Arkansas

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Fayetteville $29,000 3,400 +25%
Fort Smith $26,000 1,530 -5%
Hot Springs $24,000 650 +53%
Jonesboro $24,000 860 +53%
Little Rock $28,000 5,260 +11%
Pine Bluff $24,000 800 +129%

California

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bakersfield $35,000 2,330 -34%
Chico $31,000 690 -21%
El Centro $32,000 440 -27%
Fresno $33,000 2,590 -41%
Hanford $32,000 260 -34%
Los Angeles $36,000 36,340 -36%
Madera $32,000 310 -16%
Merced $33,000 560 -20%
Modesto $33,000 1,330 -35%
Napa $39,000 590 -24%
Oakland $42,000 7,170 -48%
Oxnard $37,000 2,630 -35%
Redding $31,000 660 -11%
Riverside $34,000 9,270 -45%
Sacramento $37,000 7,970 -34%
Salinas $36,000 1,080 -49%
San Diego $37,000 9,860 -46%
San Francisco $43,000 8,220 -40%
San Jose $40,000 6,350 -49%
San Luis Obispo $33,000 960 -19%
Santa Ana $39,000 12,500 -38%
Santa Barbara $36,000 1,980 -11%
Santa Cruz $35,000 580 -48%
Santa Rosa $35,000 1,610 -30%
Stockton $35,000 1,400 -50%
Vallejo $36,000 1,100 -30%
Visalia $32,000 1,200 -32%
Yuba City $34,000 450 0%

Colorado

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Boulder $35,000 3,660 +80%
Colorado Springs $32,000 6,570 +92%
Denver $35,000 28,070 +62%
Fort Collins $32,000 3,610 +120%
Grand Junction $30,000 1,820 +161%
Greeley $31,000 1,970 +117%
Pueblo $30,000 1,330 +91%

Connecticut

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bridgeport $40,000 7,960 +36%
Danbury $38,000 1,330 +56%
Hartford $40,000 9,040 +14%
New Haven $37,000 4,990 +35%
Norwich $37,000 2,130 +33%
Waterbury $35,000 1,530 +81%

Delaware

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Dover $34,000 900 +44%
Wilmington $37,000 4,290 -3%

District of Columbia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Washington $44,000 22,110 -35%

Florida

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Cape Coral $30,000 4,840 +87%
Deltona $28,000 4,240 +109%
Fort Lauderdale $31,000 14,340 +49%
Fort Walton Beach $29,000 1,600 +66%
Gainesville $29,000 2,500 +58%
Jacksonville $30,000 10,020 +21%
Lakeland $28,000 3,700 +47%
Miami $30,000 19,190 +41%
Naples $32,000 2,630 +81%
Ocala $27,000 2,140 +91%
Orlando $29,000 16,510 +17%
Palm Bay $30,000 3,970 +50%
Palm Coast $29,000 410 +137%
Panama City $27,000 1,330 +55%
Pensacola $28,000 3,650 +86%
Port St Lucie $28,000 3,310 +113%
Punta Gorda $28,000 1,230 +166%
Sarasota $31,000 5,340 +60%
Sebastian $30,000 1,080 +90%
Tallahassee $29,000 3,520 +64%
Tampa $29,000 21,180 +33%
West Palm Beach $32,000 10,660 +49%

Georgia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Albany $26,000 1,010 +32%
Athens $29,000 1,070 +20%
Atlanta $31,000 23,790 -26%
Augusta $30,000 2,960 +7%
Brunswick $28,000 590 +21%
Columbus $28,000 1,530 +7%
Dalton $28,000 560 -34%
Gainesville $30,000 780 -10%
Hinesville $31,000 140 -2%
Macon $28,000 1,000 -14%
Rome $28,000 390 -5%
Savannah $30,000 1,710 -13%
Valdosta $24,000 600 0%
Warner Robins $32,000 530 -19%

Hawaii

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Honolulu $37,000 5,260 -13%

Idaho

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Boise $30,000 2,380 -33%
Coeur Dalene $29,000 520 -15%
Idaho Falls $28,000 450 -20%
Lewiston $31,000 320 +24%
Pocatello $28,000 170 -51%

Illinois

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bloomington $30,000 1,050 +19%
Champaign $35,000 2,350 +78%
Chicago $34,000 36,460 -30%
Danville $28,000 440 +42%
Decatur $27,000 550 +1%
Kankakee $27,000 380 -22%
Peoria $29,000 2,240 -1%
Rockford $29,000 1,870 +1%
Springfield $32,000 1,250 -10%

Indiana

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Anderson $29,000 330 -26%
Bloomington $28,000 970 +11%
Columbus $30,000 290 -35%
Elkhart $30,000 860 -39%
Evansville $30,000 1,720 -25%
Fort Wayne $32,000 2,160 -21%
Gary $31,000 3,010 -18%
Indianapolis $33,000 9,640 -22%
Kokomo $28,000 410 -11%
Lafayette $29,000 1,380 +45%
Michigan City $29,000 460 -6%
Muncie $29,000 480 -12%
South Bend $32,000 1,590 -6%
Terre Haute $29,000 1,000 +18%

Iowa

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Ames $36,000 780 +78%
Cedar Rapids $28,000 1,610 -12%
Davenport $29,000 2,290 -8%
Des Moines $33,000 3,580 -20%
Dubuque $28,000 710 +9%
Iowa City $36,000 1,390 +57%
Sioux City $27,000 820 -10%
Waterloo $28,000 1,110 +2%

Kansas

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Lawrence $27,000 570 +10%
Manhattan $25,000 1,020 +61%
Topeka $28,000 1,670 +17%
Wichita $27,000 3,710 -5%

Kentucky

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bowling Green $23,000 510 -25%
Elizabethtown $28,000 470 -12%
Lexington $29,000 2,620 -19%
Louisville $28,000 4,780 -43%
Owensboro $25,000 530 -7%

Louisiana

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Alexandria $26,000 1,280 +61%
Baton Rouge $29,000 6,180 +21%
Houma $26,000 2,300 +89%
Lafayette $28,000 2,510 +33%
Lake Charles $25,000 1,680 +49%
Monroe $25,000 1,610 +67%
New Orleans $30,000 10,190 +40%
Shreveport $28,000 3,580 +49%

Maine

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bangor $30,000 1,260 +66%
Lewiston $29,000 620 +1%
Portland $33,000 2,600 -3%

Maryland

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Baltimore $37,000 18,040 -1%
Bethesda $40,000 8,020 +0%
Cumberland $32,000 740 +71%
Hagerstown $30,000 1,460 +17%
Salisbury $32,000 930 +42%

Massachusetts

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Barnstable Town $36,000 1,060 -17%
Boston $42,000 20,940 -14%
Brockton $39,000 1,610 +40%
Framingham $42,000 2,360 +9%
Haverhill $34,000 1,290 +24%
Lawrence $33,000 690 -6%
Leominster $37,000 440 -27%
Lowell $38,000 1,000 -36%
New Bedford $37,000 560 -30%
Peabody $37,000 1,120 -15%
Pittsfield $33,000 440 +17%
Springfield $34,000 4,200 +3%
Taunton $35,000 270 -50%
Worcester $37,000 3,800 +12%

Michigan

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Ann Arbor $34,000 2,880 +29%
Battle Creek $32,000 550 -13%
Bay City $28,000 440 +17%
Detroit $34,000 7,300 -21%
Flint $30,000 1,990 +16%
Grand Rapids $32,000 4,540 -12%
Holland $30,000 1,330 +7%
Jackson $32,000 660 +12%
Kalamazoo $30,000 1,670 -7%
Lansing $35,000 4,410 +66%
Monroe $28,000 550 +28%
Muskegon $31,000 760 +11%
Niles $31,000 920 +29%
Saginaw $32,000 1,050 +1%
Warren $34,000 12,370 -18%

Minnesota

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Duluth $34,000 720 -58%
Mankato $33,000 210 -70%
Minneapolis $39,000 7,980 -68%
Rochester $36,000 390 -71%
St Cloud $36,000 380 -69%

Mississippi

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Gulfport $30,000 2,250 +62%
Hattiesburg $24,000 1,600 +127%
Jackson $28,000 6,660 +94%
Pascagoula $28,000 1,050 +89%

Missouri

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Cape Girardeau $25,000 610 +14%
Columbia $28,000 950 -6%
Jefferson City $26,000 1,080 +16%
Joplin $23,000 900 -10%
Kansas City $31,000 11,220 -20%
Springfield $26,000 1,920 -25%
St Joseph $26,000 680 +10%
St Louis $31,000 16,310 -12%

Montana

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Billings $27,000 1,850 +73%
Great Falls $25,000 720 +67%
Missoula $27,000 1,130 +77%

Nebraska

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Lincoln $30,000 2,330 +9%
Omaha $30,000 5,640 -13%

Nevada

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Carson City $38,000 1,040 +253%
Las Vegas $36,000 7,450 -37%
Reno $36,000 2,780 +9%

New Hampshire

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Manchester $32,000 1,630 +22%
Nashua $32,000 2,020 +12%
Portsmouth $33,000 830 +17%
Rochester $30,000 1,120 +71%

New Jersey

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Atlantic City $37,000 1,790 -7%
Camden $36,000 8,980 +24%
Edison $36,000 17,640 +24%
Newark $38,000 16,370 +18%
Ocean City $33,000 700 +43%
Trenton $42,000 4,090 +33%
Vineland $32,000 890 +20%

New Mexico

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Albuquerque $30,000 7,530 +42%
Farmington $29,000 1,220 +103%
Las Cruces $28,000 1,460 +83%
Santa Fe $31,000 1,280 +66%

New York

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Albany $36,000 9,550 +54%
Binghamton $32,000 2,590 +77%
Buffalo $31,000 11,060 +45%
Elmira $30,000 590 +31%
Glens Falls $29,000 1,090 +71%
Ithaca $37,000 1,480 +204%
Kingston $31,000 1,370 +83%
Nassau $35,000 28,760 +63%
New York $37,000 97,550 +34%
Poughkeepsie $33,000 5,540 +66%
Rochester $32,000 10,090 +45%
Syracuse $32,000 5,530 +29%
Utica $30,000 2,480 +52%

North Carolina

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Asheville $29,000 2,690 +14%
Burlington $30,000 690 -1%
Charlotte $32,000 10,640 -11%
Durham $34,000 4,820 +28%
Fayetteville $28,000 2,080 +25%
Goldsboro $27,000 820 +71%
Greensboro $31,000 4,600 -6%
Greenville $29,000 1,030 +22%
Hickory $27,000 1,610 -17%
Jacksonville $28,000 830 +63%
Raleigh $33,000 9,500 +33%
Rocky Mount $29,000 1,050 +47%
Wilmington $29,000 2,250 +25%
Winston Salem $31,000 2,920 +3%

North Dakota

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bismarck $32,000 490 -40%
Fargo $31,000 810 -49%
Grand Forks $32,000 490 -16%

Ohio

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Akron $31,000 4,160 -5%
Canton $27,000 2,490 +12%
Cincinnati $32,000 10,170 -28%
Cleveland $31,000 13,480 -5%
Columbus $36,000 10,640 -17%
Dayton $32,000 4,810 -8%
Lima $29,000 500 -21%
Mansfield $28,000 560 -11%
Sandusky $31,000 440 +8%
Springfield $30,000 530 -8%
Steubenville $24,000 450 -9%
Toledo $29,000 3,600 -10%
Youngstown $28,000 3,270 +7%

Oklahoma

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Lawton $26,000 680 +40%
Oklahoma City $28,000 8,230 +3%
Tulsa $28,000 6,110 +3%

Oregon

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bend $30,000 1,010 +29%
Corvallis $34,000 460 +50%
Eugene $31,000 2,130 +15%
Medford $30,000 960 -2%
Portland $35,000 13,450 -5%
Salem $32,000 2,700 +37%

Pennsylvania

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Allentown $31,000 5,860 +23%
Altoona $25,000 990 +32%
Erie $28,000 1,710 +1%
Harrisburg $32,000 4,850 +11%
Johnstown $27,000 920 +33%
Lancaster $29,000 3,360 +6%
Lebanon $29,000 870 +59%
Philadelphia $34,000 29,460 +11%
Pittsburgh $29,000 16,710 +5%
Reading $31,000 2,150 -3%
Scranton $28,000 4,210 +19%
State College $31,000 1,550 +99%
Williamsport $26,000 930 +48%
York $29,000 2,700 +15%

Rhode Island

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Providence $35,000 7,980 +4%

South Carolina

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Anderson $30,000 910 +31%
Charleston $32,000 4,090 +4%
Columbia $30,000 6,130 +28%
Florence $28,000 1,230 +22%
Greenville $29,000 4,540 +11%
Myrtle Beach $28,000 1,620 +14%
Spartanburg $30,000 1,650 +10%
Sumter $29,000 540 +43%

South Dakota

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Rapid City $25,000 1,030 +30%
Sioux Falls $25,000 1,410 -23%

Tennessee

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Chattanooga $29,000 2,660 -14%
Clarksville $27,000 700 -29%
Cleveland $28,000 500 +25%
Jackson $26,000 830 +14%
Johnson City $25,000 1,060 +17%
Kingsport $27,000 1,240 -22%
Knoxville $29,000 4,830 +6%
Memphis $31,000 6,330 -26%
Morristown $24,000 520 -5%
Nashville $30,000 11,450 +11%

Texas

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Abilene $26,000 1,610 +105%
Amarillo $27,000 2,490 +80%
Austin $31,000 14,270 +31%
Beaumont $27,000 2,820 +32%
Brownsville $24,000 2,210 +29%
College Station $27,000 1,580 +34%
Corpus Christi $27,000 2,950 +24%
Dallas $32,000 26,360 -10%
El Paso $26,000 5,540 +49%
Fort Worth $32,000 11,230 -7%
Houston $31,000 35,300 -4%
Killeen $26,000 1,970 +17%
Laredo $24,000 1,620 +63%
Longview $27,000 1,580 +29%
Lubbock $27,000 2,530 +53%
Mcallen $25,000 3,950 +27%
Midland $30,000 1,170 +50%
Odessa $27,000 1,060 +52%
San Angelo $27,000 690 +40%
San Antonio $30,000 13,280 +10%
Sherman $24,000 650 +32%
Texarkana $27,000 870 +31%
Tyler $27,000 1,710 +48%
Victoria $26,000 810 +40%
Waco $26,000 1,880 +46%
Wichita Falls $26,000 1,140 +68%

Utah

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Logan $27,000 1,060 +86%
Ogden $28,000 3,340 +25%
Provo $29,000 4,160 +83%
Salt Lake City $30,000 10,920 +30%
St George $27,000 920 +67%

Vermont

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Burlington $30,000 1,860 +28%

Virginia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Blacksburg $27,000 200 -73%
Charlottesville $35,000 650 -41%
Danville $29,000 290 -28%
Harrisonburg $31,000 320 -53%
Lynchburg $27,000 580 -55%
Richmond $34,000 3,750 -56%
Roanoke $32,000 1,050 -49%
Virginia Beach $33,000 4,630 -56%
Winchester $32,000 410 -32%

Washington

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bellingham $33,000 960 +3%
Bremerton $37,000 1,000 -5%
Kennewick $36,000 1,700 +32%
Longview $33,000 480 +25%
Mount Vernon $35,000 490 -8%
Olympia $36,000 1,220 -4%
Seattle $39,000 12,700 -35%
Spokane $33,000 2,400 -13%
Tacoma $36,000 3,000 -17%
Wenatchee $33,000 540 +18%
Yakima $33,000 1,100 +3%

West Virginia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Charleston $28,000 1,800 -6%
Huntington $27,000 1,190 -20%
Morgantown $28,000 490 -25%
Parkersburg $28,000 780 -8%
Wheeling $25,000 770 -5%

Wisconsin

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Appleton $33,000 1,000 -33%
Eau Claire $31,000 600 -36%
Fond $33,000 440 -14%
Green Bay $31,000 1,050 -53%
Janesville $30,000 500 -36%
La Crosse $30,000 480 -47%
Madison $35,000 3,630 -22%
Milwaukee $34,000 6,310 -45%
Oshkosh $31,000 770 -31%
Racine $32,000 540 -42%
Sheboygan $35,000 340 -50%
Wausau $31,000 450 -46%

Wyoming

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Casper $28,000 860 +102%
Cheyenne $29,000 850 +68%
*FOOTNOTES: Job Facts salary and numbers data is based on US Department of Labor Statistics data for 2011. Other data on page may be from earlier years. Typical salary is given as median salary, where 50% in the job make more and 50% less. Salary range is Job Hunt's estimates of typical starting salary as being at the 10th percentile of reported pay and typical top end salary, for the most senior workers, as being at the 90th. Job openings is an estimate of new jobs every year due to growth plus those leaving the field. Where NA is given data is not available. Suggested studies is based on Job Hunt research, suggesting a minimum degree level that is judged to offer the best opportunities for entry-level employment. This Secretaries schools and career page was originally researched by CityTownInfo.com.