Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of medical secretaries and administrative assistants to grow 4.8% from 2025 to 2035 (about 47,100 more jobs), with about 89,200 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $45,930 a year ranks 645th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +4.8%
- Openings a year
- 89,200
- Median pay
- $45,930
- Pay rank
- 645th of 825
Is employment of medical secretaries and administrative assistants growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of medical secretaries and administrative assistants to rise 4.8% (about 47,100 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is faster than the -4.0% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 54 office and administrative support occupations with a projection. That change ranks 251st of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 979,000 |
| Employment, 2035 | 1,026,100 |
| Projected change | +4.8% |
| Openings a year | 89,200 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 979,000 jobs here differ from the 961,610 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 89,200 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 44th most of 830 occupations. About 95% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 4,710 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for medical secretaries and administrative assistants rank?
The median of $45,930 a year ranks 645th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on openings and the lower half on pay.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent.
- Typical on-the-job training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receptionists and Information Clerks | -1.7% | 105,100 | $38,010 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | -6.0% | 163,900 | $47,540 |
| Office Clerks, General | -6.0% | 249,000 | $45,010 |
| Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | 0% | 43,300 | $76,590 |
| Customer Service Representatives | -5.3% | 289,500 | $44,770 |
| Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks | -1.9% | 17,500 | $49,230 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | +0.1% | 127,400 | $69,500 |
| Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan | -10.4% | 13,200 | $45,920 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.