Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants Salary
In Merced, CA, executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants earn $80,650 at the median, or about $38.78 an hour. The range runs from $55K at the entry level to $108K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.28), that's roughly $82,061 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,503/month, or 29.7% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $81K get you in Merced?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Merced’s Regional Price Parity (98.28). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
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What this looks like in Merced
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants pay in Merced tracks closely to the national median, $81K locally vs. $77K nationwide, a 5% difference. Rent runs $1,503/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 29.3% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 98.28) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants in metros near Merced, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $83K | $73K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $105K | $91K |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $106K | $96K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $85K | $76K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Merced, CA
Entry-level executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants (10th percentile) start around $55K. Mid-career wages sit at $81K. Top earners bring in $108K or more, a $53K spread from bottom to top.
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $91K | +19% | 4,560 |
| New Jersey | $90K | +17% | 11,690 |
| California | $89K | +16% | 59,640 |
| Massachusetts | $83K | +8% | 14,820 |
| Connecticut | $83K | +8% | 6,490 |
| Hawaii | $81K | +5% | 1,440 |
| New York | $81K | +5% | 88,890 |
| Virginia | $80K | +5% | 10,360 |
| Washington | $79K | +3% | 11,560 |
| Delaware | $79K | +3% | 1,320 |
| Maryland | $79K | +3% | 13,960 |
| Minnesota | $78K | +2% | 7,970 |
| Rhode Island | $78K | +2% | 950 |
| Oregon | $75K | -1% | 6,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $75K | -2% | 12,910 |
| Illinois | $74K | -3% | 14,900 |
| New Mexico | $74K | -4% | 2,800 |
| Texas | $72K | -6% | 34,520 |
| New Hampshire | $72K | -6% | 1,210 |
| Vermont | $71K | -8% | 770 |
| Arizona | $71K | -8% | 6,490 |
| North Carolina | $70K | -8% | 8,890 |
| Ohio | $70K | -9% | 10,940 |
| Alabama | $69K | -9% | 2,880 |
| Wisconsin | $69K | -10% | 4,480 |
| Georgia | $68K | -11% | 14,560 |
| Tennessee | $68K | -11% | 5,360 |
| Nevada | $68K | -11% | 2,670 |
| Michigan | $67K | -13% | 9,030 |
| Nebraska | $66K | -14% | 1,860 |
| Alaska | $66K | -14% | 1,320 |
| Colorado | $66K | -14% | 10,340 |
| Kansas | $65K | -15% | 2,750 |
| Florida | $65K | -16% | 19,220 |
| Maine | $64K | -16% | 2,320 |
| West Virginia | $64K | -17% | 860 |
| Kentucky | $62K | -19% | 2,700 |
| Iowa | $62K | -19% | 4,150 |
| North Dakota | $61K | -20% | 540 |
| Utah | $61K | -20% | 5,440 |
| South Carolina | $61K | -20% | 3,880 |
| Missouri | $60K | -21% | 8,500 |
| Idaho | $60K | -21% | 1,180 |
| Oklahoma | $60K | -22% | 2,810 |
| Montana | $60K | -22% | 550 |
| Indiana | $59K | -23% | 5,060 |
| Mississippi | $56K | -27% | 1,240 |
| South Dakota | $55K | -28% | 1,230 |
| Louisiana | $53K | -30% | 9,270 |
| Wyoming | $52K | -32% | 560 |
| Arkansas | $52K | -33% | 2,070 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
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Frequently asked questions
Can a executive secretaries and executive administrative assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Merced?
Yes — at the median salary of $81K, rent takes 29.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,503/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants in Merced?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants typically earn — is $55K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,292/month. At HUD’s $1,503/month FMR, rent would take 46% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is executive secretaries and executive administrative assistant a high-paying job in Merced?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $81K locally vs. $77K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Merced compare to the national average for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants?
Merced pays $81K median vs. the U.S. average of $77K — that’s +5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $82K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants make in Merced, CA?
The median is $80,650 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $54,860, and experienced executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants can clear $107,890. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $81K enough to live in Merced?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,124/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,503/month, which eats 29.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants salary go in Merced?
Merced has a Regional Price Parity of 98.28 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants salary is worth about $82,061 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.