Executive Assistant Salary by U.S. City (2026)

Executive Assistant salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles, plus cost-of-living-adjusted real pay. Compare metros.

Cities tracked
50
National average
$73680

How Executive Assistant pay varies by city

Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Executive Assistant pay ranges from about $51,780 in New Orleans, LA to $102,450 in San Jose, CA (median wage). But the highest nominal pay isn’t the best deal once local prices are factored in: adjusted for cost of living, Wichita, KS delivers the strongest real buying power (about $317,814 in national-average dollars). The U.S. national average for this role is about $73,680.

The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.

CityMedian10th %ile90th %ileCost of living
(US = 100)
Real pay
(COL-adjusted)
San Jose, CA$102450$72940$134710110.4$96710
Oakland, CA$97130$64250$132690115.6$86219
San Francisco, CA$97130$64250$132690115.6$86219
New York, NY$82080$60120$121010112.6$76766
Washington, DC$80680$55380$116110108.9$76788
Seattle, WA$80650$57990$104190111.1$73893
San Diego, CA$78990$54100$105940111.9$72341
Long Beach, CA$78000$52740$110240113.6$71914
Los Angeles, CA$78000$52740$110240113.6$71914
Charlotte, NC$77170$50070$9849097.3$77002
Minneapolis, MN$76710$57400$105840104.8$74507
Boston, MA$75370$43552$97642108.3$69616
Arlington, TX$74980$49270$98840
Dallas, TX$74980$49270$98840103.1$71316
Sacramento, CA$74980$54560$107760106.7$72935
Baltimore, MD$74140$50020$102430104.5$71818
Philadelphia, PA$73750$48880$100550102.6$72255
Atlanta, GA$72230$52240$100660100.1$74007
Houston, TX$71830$47880$10081098.6$73751
Fresno, CA$71640$47550$97520102.2$70822
Chicago, IL$71230$47950$101320103.6$71519
Portland, OR$69780$51000$90270105.4$67064
Albuquerque, NM$68750$54090$8346095.5$73075
Detroit, MI$67590$40390$93500100.3$67987
Fort Worth, TX$66703$33525$89926103.1$64704
Columbus, OH$66310$50100$10334095.5$75522
Mesa, AZ$66000$46370$94530103.3$67579
Phoenix, AZ$66000$46370$94530103.3$67579
Raleigh, NC$65590$46710$9583098.2$71691
Milwaukee, WI$65420$45490$8663096.9$69210
San Antonio, TX$65220$44700$9038094.7$70453
Miami, FL$65160$40310$100300114.2$60996
Denver, CO$64660$48260$92930105.8$64283
Austin, TX$64540$46220$9038098.1$68535
Cleveland, OH$64360$42630$89640
Nashville, TN$63490$36600$8573096.3$65675
Las Vegas, NV$63040$42720$91830100.2$65639
Kansas City, MO$62920$39740$8507092.5$68736
Memphis, TN$62850$42630$8647092.2$70558
Omaha, NE$62190$46730$8595091.9$71569
Jacksonville, FL$61700$36260$8955099.5$63075
Tulsa, OK$61010$41480$10309089.2$74786
Colorado Springs, CO$60000$44010$83990100.7$63084
Tucson, AZ$58890$43190$8316096.9$63883
Indianapolis, IN$58670$37990$8902095.7$65311
Wichita, KS$58590$38150$7766018.3$317814
Oklahoma City, OK$58100$38070$8667090.4$66410
Louisville, KY$54770$42140$8355093.1$64314
El Paso, TX$54600$38650$7629089.9$62361
New Orleans, LA$51780$36470$8104026.3$216654

“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.

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