Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive salary in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Maryland tax rules.
The figures
The median Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area earns $49,220 a year ($23.66 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn between $42,340 and $59,330 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $35,920 or less and the top 10 percent earn $65,510 or more. BLS estimates 29,780 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive jobs in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area — 21.949 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 2 (well above the national concentration). That is 1.7% of all Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive employment in the United States (1,706,790 jobs nationally). By employment, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD is the #9 largest of the 24 covered metro areas for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive. In aggregate, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn about $1.52 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $41,092.06 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive is about $1.22 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD stands #13 of the 24 metro areas covered on this site for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive. By employment, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive is the #4 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. Placed against the national distribution for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $49,220 falls between the national median ($47,540) and the national 75th percentile ($58,000). Across all occupations, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median is $59,070 a year — Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive pay is 16.7% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $24.51 | $50,990 |
| 10th percentile | $17.27 | $35,920 |
| 25th percentile | $20.35 | $42,340 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $23.66 | $49,220 |
| 75th percentile | $28.52 | $59,330 |
| 90th percentile | $31.50 | $65,510 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn 1.8 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($65,510 against $35,920). The middle half spans $16,990 — from $42,340 to $59,330. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($31.50) is 1.82 times the 10th ($17.27). In the upper half of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $59,330 takes home $47,397.04 and the 90th percentile wage of $65,510 takes home $52,069.04 — $4,672.00 more net for $6,180 more gross. Against the median take-home of $39,753.92, the top decile keeps 1.31 times as much. The mean wage of $50,990 sits 3.6% above the median: higher-paid Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive pull the average up in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive ranks #13 by median pay. In the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive sits between Maintenance and Repair Workers, General at $52,100 and First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers at $46,760. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive accounts for 2.2% of all employment in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,772 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive; Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD employs 1.0 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Maryland
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Maryland; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $49,220.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,726.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,051.64 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $713.69 |
| Maryland income tax | $1,974.32 |
| Total deductions | $9,466.08 |
| Net pay (annual) | $39,753.92 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,529.00 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.23% of gross |
At the median, $39,753.92 of the $49,220 gross is kept ($1,529.00 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.23%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.32% at the 10th percentile, 18.39% at the 25th percentile, 20.11% at the 75th percentile, 20.52% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $12,844.30 on a gross rise of $16,990.
The same engine at the other published points of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($35,920) | $29,698.98 | $1,142.27 | 17.32% |
| 25th percentile ($42,340) | $34,552.74 | $1,328.95 | 18.39% |
| Median ($49,220) | $39,753.92 | $1,529.00 | 19.23% |
| 75th percentile ($59,330) | $47,397.04 | $1,822.96 | 20.11% |
| 90th percentile ($65,510) | $52,069.04 | $2,002.66 | 20.52% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,698.98 a year at the 10th percentile to $52,069.04 at the 90th — a spread of $22,370.06 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median wage of $59,070 takes home $47,200.74 a year ($1,815.41 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.09%). The Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive median take-home of $39,753.92 sits $7,446.82 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive earns $47,540 a year ($22.86 an hour). The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $49,220 is $1,680 (3.5%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $50,990 a year in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD against $49,350 nationally, a gap of $1,640 (3.3%).
Set against the whole local market, the Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 90th percentile of $65,510 is 47% of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($138,650), and its 10th percentile of $35,920 is 105% of the area-wide 10th ($34,230).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $49,220 | $23.66 | $50,990 |
| United States | $47,540 | $22.86 | $49,350 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
$49,220 a year ($23.66 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $50,990 a year. Ranked by median pay, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD stands #13 of the 24 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $49,220 in Maryland?
About $39,753.92 a year ($1,529.00 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.23% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $59,330, take-home is $47,397.04.
How does pay in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD compare with the national median for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive?
The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $49,220 is $1,680 (3.5%) above the national median of $47,540 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $65,510, against a national 90th percentile of $66,350.
How much do the top 10% of Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive earn in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
$65,510 a year or more ($31.50 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
On $65,510 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $52,069.04 a year ($2,002.66 per biweekly paycheck) in Maryland under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 20.52%.
How many Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive jobs are there in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
BLS estimates 29,780 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive jobs in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area — 21.949 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive jobs in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
The location quotient is 2 — well above the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
From $29,698.98 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($35,920) to $52,069.04 at the 90th ($65,510), under the same single-filer assumptions in Maryland.
What is the total wage bill for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
About $1.52 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 29,780 multiplied by the mean wage of $50,990.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.