Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary
The median pay for a medical secretaries and administrative assistants in Fort Smith, AR-OK is $35,830/year ($17.22/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $34K at the entry level to $43K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.89), which stretches that salary to about $41,716 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $937/month, about 38.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $36K actually covers in Fort Smith, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Fort Smith’s Regional Price Parity (85.89). 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 medical secretaries and administrative assistants
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What this looks like in Fort Smith
Pay for medical secretaries and administrative assistants in Fort Smith runs about 22% below the U.S. median of $46K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $937/month, which is 38% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 85.89 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for medical secretaries and administrative assistants.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for medical secretaries and administrative assistants in metros near Fort Smith, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway | $40K | $44K |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers | $39K | $43K |
| Hot Springs | $39K | $45K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $46K | $44K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Fort Smith, AR-OK
Entry-level medical secretaries and administrative assistants (10th percentile) start around $34K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $43K or more, a $9K spread from bottom to top.
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $58K | +26% | 10,960 |
| California | $54K | +19% | 115,050 |
| Massachusetts | $50K | +9% | 22,210 |
| Oregon | $50K | +9% | 16,840 |
| Minnesota | $50K | +9% | 16,860 |
| Hawaii | $50K | +9% | 2,160 |
| District of Columbia | $49K | +7% | 1,930 |
| New Jersey | $49K | +6% | 20,980 |
| Connecticut | $49K | +6% | 6,480 |
| New Hampshire | $48K | +5% | 3,680 |
| Wisconsin | $48K | +5% | 7,760 |
| Vermont | $48K | +5% | 2,390 |
| Alaska | $48K | +4% | 2,520 |
| Maryland | $48K | +4% | 17,290 |
| New York | $48K | +4% | 57,720 |
| Nevada | $47K | +2% | 7,030 |
| Maine | $47K | +2% | 4,610 |
| Colorado | $47K | +2% | 11,560 |
| Rhode Island | $47K | +2% | 2,350 |
| Illinois | $47K | +2% | 27,560 |
| Virginia | $46K | +1% | 27,600 |
| Nebraska | $46K | +0% | 4,110 |
| Arizona | $46K | -0% | 18,090 |
| South Dakota | $46K | -0% | 80 |
| North Dakota | $45K | -1% | 1,120 |
| Pennsylvania | $45K | -2% | 27,600 |
| Idaho | $45K | -2% | 5,120 |
| Delaware | $45K | -3% | 4,510 |
| Wyoming | $44K | -3% | 1,110 |
| Utah | $44K | -3% | 5,260 |
| Ohio | $44K | -4% | 29,110 |
| New Mexico | $44K | -4% | 4,590 |
| North Carolina | $44K | -4% | 56,840 |
| Indiana | $44K | -4% | 21,180 |
| Missouri | $44K | -4% | 12,260 |
| Montana | $44K | -5% | 4,410 |
| Georgia | $43K | -6% | 39,380 |
| Kansas | $43K | -6% | 6,470 |
| Texas | $43K | -7% | 78,740 |
| Florida | $42K | -9% | 96,000 |
| Michigan | $41K | -11% | 27,960 |
| Iowa | $41K | -11% | 10,560 |
| South Carolina | $40K | -13% | 15,630 |
| Tennessee | $40K | -13% | 41,810 |
| Kentucky | $39K | -16% | 26,430 |
| West Virginia | $38K | -16% | 1,550 |
| Oklahoma | $38K | -17% | 8,430 |
| Arkansas | $37K | -19% | 2,190 |
| Alabama | $37K | -20% | 16,580 |
| Louisiana | $37K | -20% | 2,970 |
| Mississippi | $36K | -21% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a medical secretaries and administrative assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Fort Smith?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 38% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $937/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for medical secretaries and administrative assistants in Fort Smith?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new medical secretaries and administrative assistants typically earn — is $34K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,359/month. At HUD’s $937/month FMR, rent would take 40% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is medical secretaries and administrative assistant a high-paying job in Fort Smith?
Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $36K here vs. $46K nationally. Cost of living is 14% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Fort Smith compare to the national average for medical secretaries and administrative assistants?
Fort Smith pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $46K — that’s -22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 85.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $42K — below the national median.
How much do medical secretaries and administrative assistants make in Fort Smith, AR-OK?
The median is $35,830 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,140, and experienced medical secretaries and administrative assistants can clear $42,790. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in Fort Smith?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,467/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $937/month, which eats 38% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a medical secretaries and administrative assistants salary go in Fort Smith?
Fort Smith has a Regional Price Parity of 85.89 (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 medical secretaries and administrative assistants salary is worth about $41,716 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do medical secretaries and 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.