Massachusetts · BLS May 2025

Executive Assistant Salary in Massachusetts

Also called executive secretary. SOC 43-6011.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 14,820 executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants working in Massachusetts. Here is what they are paid, what the median leaves after federal, state and FICA tax, and what that is worth against local prices.

Median pay · Massachusetts

$82,650A year, or $39.73 an hour.
Take-home a month$5,263After federal, state and FICA tax at 23.6%
Worth at national prices$78,151Prices here sit at 105.8 against 100
Against the nation7.9% aboveNational median $76,590
What executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants earn in Massachusetts, May 2025
PercentileAnnualHourly
10th percentileEntry and lowest-paid$59,320$28.52
25th percentile$69,560$33.44
MedianHalf earn more, half less$82,650$39.73
75th percentile$100,170$48.16
90th percentileMost experienced and senior$123,930$59.58
MeanThe average, pulled up by the top$87,060$41.86
How we got this
  1. Median wage in MassachusettsBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants earned more than this, half less.$82,650
  2. Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$39.73
  3. Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$5,263 a month at an effective rate of 23.6%.$63,162 a year
  4. Worth at national average pricesPrices in Massachusetts sit at 105.8 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$78,151
  5. Against the national medianThe national median is $76,590.7.9% above
  6. Jobs countedA concentration of 1.38 against the nation's 1.00.14,820
What we assumed
  • Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
  • OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
  • Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
  • Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details

Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1

What lands in the bank

A $82,650 salary in Massachusetts, for one single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026.

  • Federal income tax. $9,353 a year.
  • State income tax. $3,813 a year.
  • Social Security and Medicare. $6,323 a year.
  • Left over. $63,162 a year, $5,263 a month, an effective rate of 23.6%.

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What $82,650 is worth in Massachusetts

Prices in Massachusetts sit at 105.8 against a national average of 100, so $82,650 earned here buys what $78,151 buys at national average prices.

  • Rents. 128.1 against 100, the component that moves most between states.
  • Against local households. The median household in Massachusetts takes in $103,960, so this occupation's median is 0.8 times that, on one income.
  • How common the job is here. 38% more concentrated in Massachusetts than in the country as a whole.

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Common questions

Executive Assistant pay in Massachusetts, answered

How much does an executive assistant make in Massachusetts?

The median wage for executive assistants in Massachusetts is $82,650 a year, or $39.73 an hour.

Half earn more than that and half earn less. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage survey for May 2025.

What is the take-home pay for an executive assistant in Massachusetts?

On the median wage of $82,650, one filer taking the standard deduction keeps about $63,162 a year, or roughly $5,263 a month.

That is after federal, state and FICA tax, an effective rate of 23.6%.

Massachusetts takes $3,813 of it in state income tax.

Do executive assistants earn more in Massachusetts than in the rest of the country?

Yes. The median in Massachusetts is 7.9% above the national median of $76,590.

Nominal pay is only half the comparison: prices in Massachusetts sit at 105.8 against a national 100, so the gap in what the money buys is different from the gap in the salary.

Is $82,650 a good salary in Massachusetts?

It is 0.8 times the median household income of $103,960. A household often has more than one earner, so a single salary at this level goes further than the ratio alone suggests.

Prices in Massachusetts run at 105.8 against a national average of 100, with rents at 128.1, so $82,650 here buys about what $78,151 buys at national average prices.

What do the highest-paid executive assistants earn in Massachusetts?

The top tenth earn $123,930 a year or more, against $59,320 at the bottom tenth.

Experience, specialism, employer and the part of Massachusetts someone works in all move a wage inside that range; the survey reports the spread, not the reason for it.

How many executive assistants are there in Massachusetts?

The survey counted 14,820 of these jobs in Massachusetts for May 2025.

That makes the occupation 38% more concentrated here than in the country as a whole. It counts wage and salary jobs, so the self-employed are outside it.

Sources

Where this data comes from