Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary in California
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in California earn a median $54,490 a year, +19% against the national median of $45,930; they and rank 2nd of 51 states by median. That is 6% less than the median across all occupations in California ($58,240). California pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon, Nevada and Arizona range from $45,820 in Arizona to $50,130 in Oregon. California employs 115,050 medical secretaries and administrative assistants, 6.32 per 1,000 jobs, the 1st largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.02 is close to the national share.
California vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $19.54 | $22.40 | $26.20 | $30.45 | $36.55 | $27.09 | 115,050 | 6.32 | 1.02 |
| Annual | $40,650 | $46,590 | $54,490 | $63,330 | $76,020 | $56,350 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $17.27 | $18.54 | $22.08 | $24.32 | $29.10 | $22.50 | 961,610 | – | – |
| Annual | $35,930 | $38,570 | $45,930 | $50,580 | $60,530 | $46,800 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 2nd of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 1st of 50 states
- Location quotient
- 1.02
- Jobs per 1,000
- 6.32
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of California's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in California
25 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching California publish a row for medical secretaries and administrative assistants, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $33.34 | $69,350 | $45,960 | $81,860 | 6,340 | 5.58 | 0.90 |
| Napa, CA | $29.73 | $61,830 | $47,400 | $76,850 | 510 | 6.61 | 1.07 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $29.49 | $61,330 | $48,130 | $84,100 | 13,660 | 5.75 | 0.93 |
| Vallejo, CA | $29.43 | $61,220 | $46,740 | $81,250 | 990 | 6.85 | 1.11 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $28.96 | $60,240 | $46,010 | $80,520 | 1,190 | 5.79 | 0.94 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $27.75 | $57,730 | $42,340 | $76,580 | 7,710 | 7.13 | 1.15 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $26.32 | $54,740 | $43,030 | $71,680 | 840 | 6.88 | 1.11 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $24.83 | $51,650 | $43,640 | $71,010 | 11,260 | 7.32 | 1.18 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $24.72 | $51,410 | $38,650 | $74,220 | 40,380 | 6.44 | 1.04 |
| Modesto, CA | $24.16 | $50,250 | $42,360 | $73,040 | 1,600 | 8.19 | 1.32 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $24.15 | $50,230 | $44,400 | $70,120 | 720 | 7.35 | 1.19 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $23.96 | $49,830 | $43,680 | $58,720 | 270 | 5.49 | 0.89 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $23.95 | $49,820 | $38,090 | $66,240 | 10,530 | 6.13 | 0.99 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $23.94 | $49,800 | $39,520 | $69,240 | 2,460 | 7.59 | 1.23 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $23.91 | $49,730 | $41,410 | $64,880 | 1,040 | 5.17 | 0.84 |
| Salinas, CA | $23.86 | $49,630 | $43,850 | $63,620 | 950 | 5.10 | 0.82 |
| Yuba City, CA | $23.85 | $49,600 | $39,290 | $61,600 | 310 | 6.08 | 0.98 |
| Fresno, CA | $23.14 | $48,120 | $39,010 | $64,790 | 3,410 | 7.16 | 1.16 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $23.05 | $47,950 | $38,680 | $69,850 | 1,360 | 4.70 | 0.76 |
| Visalia, CA | $22.86 | $47,560 | $38,240 | $62,380 | 900 | 5.25 | 0.85 |
| Redding, CA | $22.84 | $47,510 | $38,850 | $62,550 | 590 | 8.27 | 1.34 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $22.80 | $47,430 | $38,320 | $62,340 | 1,670 | 4.93 | 0.80 |
| Chico, CA | $22.79 | $47,400 | $39,670 | $58,750 | 630 | 8.09 | 1.31 |
| Merced, CA | $22.43 | $46,660 | $37,750 | $59,990 | 350 | 4.43 | 0.72 |
| El Centro, CA | $22.03 | $45,820 | $37,440 | $59,470 | 290 | 4.51 | 0.73 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $23.84 | $49,590 | $38,750 | $62,680 | 350 | 5.49 | 0.89 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $23.49 | $48,860 | $39,120 | $67,720 | 500 | 4.79 | 0.77 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $23.47 | $48,810 | $39,380 | $63,920 | 660 | 6.00 | 0.97 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (every state ranked) and the California wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS California estimates.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.