Office Support · Executive support
About 16% of U.S. executive assistants work in the New York metro, yet most EA searches stall for a reason geography cannot fix: nobody agreed what the assistant may decide on the executive's behalf. Careerscape recruits EAs nationally and remotely, through recruiters who focus on executive and office support roles.
The role
BLS describes executive assistants as giving high-level support to top executives: reviewing documents, doing research, writing reports and, in some offices, supervising clerical staff. O*NET's most common tasks for the role start with managing the executive's schedule and arranging travel, followed by preparing reports and presentations and coordinating office services.
The deciding question in an EA search is authority. Can the assistant accept or decline meetings without asking? Answer email in the executive's name? Approve spending, brief the board chair, speak for the executive to direct reports? Two EAs with the same resume can fail or succeed depending on how much latitude the executive will give, so settle that before you write the posting.
The role is also holding steadier than general admin work. BLS projects little or no change in executive assistant employment from 2025 to 2035, while it expects a 6% drop for general administrative assistants. The same projection notes that managers now do more of their own tasks with technology, including AI, and that many executive assistants support more than one manager. The EAs who stay valuable run projects, manage access to the executive and use those tools well.
Talent pools
BLS metro data for the 29 markets we track. Concentration compares each metro's share of EA jobs with the U.S. share; 1.00 is average.
| Market | Jobs | Median pay · vs. U.S. | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | 76,950 | $83,840+9% | 2.74 |
| Los Angeles | 20,850 | $82,850+8% | 1.12 |
| Washington, DC | 12,960 | $90,320+18% | 1.40 |
| Boston | 11,290 | $85,260+11% | 1.41 |
| San Francisco | 11,250 | $105,190+37% | 1.60 |
| Chicago | 10,620 | $77,770+2% | 0.80 |
| Atlanta | 10,060 | $72,090−6% | 1.18 |
| Austin | 8,560 | $69,600−9% | 2.24 |
| Dallas | 8,290 | $80,230+5% | 0.69 |
| Baltimore | 8,260 | $78,380+2% | 2.06 |
| Houston | 7,390 | $74,850−2% | 0.76 |
| Seattle | 7,370 | $80,860+6% | 1.19 |
| Philadelphia | 7,150 | $79,490+4% | 0.83 |
| Minneapolis | 6,150 | $80,030+4% | 1.06 |
| Denver | 5,930 | $68,020−11% | 1.25 |
| Miami | 5,090 | $73,180−4% | 0.61 |
| Phoenix | 5,000 | $74,010−3% | 0.71 |
| San Diego | 4,510 | $84,540+10% | 0.99 |
| Portland | 3,880 | $78,750+3% | 1.09 |
| Detroit | 3,670 | $74,950−2% | 0.65 |
| Albany | 3,400 | $74,730−2% | 2.56 |
| Tampa | 3,140 | $64,710−16% | 0.73 |
| Buffalo | 2,870 | $74,870−2% | 1.81 |
| Hartford | 2,750 | $80,370+5% | 1.55 |
| Charlotte | 2,620 | $79,900+4% | 0.65 |
| Nashville | 2,430 | $73,700−4% | 0.75 |
| Pittsburgh | 2,330 | $69,030−10% | 0.71 |
| Providence | 1,520 | $76,450±0% | 0.72 |
| Raleigh-Durham | — | $73,490−4% | — |
New York City holds 76,950 executive assistant jobs, about 16% of the national total, at a concentration of 2.74 and a median of $83,840. San Francisco has the highest median at $105,190, about 37% above the U.S. figure, followed by Washington, DC ($90,320) and Boston ($85,260). Albany (2.56), Austin (2.24) and Baltimore (2.06) are also highly concentrated, but Austin's median of $69,600 sits about 9% below the nation. Miami (0.61), Charlotte and Detroit (both 0.65) have the thinnest pools. Tampa has the lowest median ($64,710). BLS published a Raleigh-Durham median but no job count. Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, by metro area, sorted by jobs. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; U.S. median $76,590. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: above 1.0 means the job is a bigger share of local employment than nationally.
Specialties
Name the kind of support and the tools in the posting. O*NET flags SAP Concur, SharePoint, Google Workspace and Zoom as in-demand software for EAs, and Slack and Webex as hot technologies.
Interview
Have the executive ask at least two of these. The answers matter, but so does whether the candidate asks about the executive's preferences in return.
Listen for: Clear rules they set or agreed with the executive, protected focus time, and examples of saying no to senior people without causing friction.
Listen for: Calm sequencing: rebooking first, then informing the executive with options rather than problems, then fixing downstream meetings. Named vendors or backups they had in place.
Listen for: A repeatable system (rules, folders or labels, a daily summary), a clear line on what they answer themselves and what they never touch.
Listen for: Discretion without drama. A strong candidate explains the situation without revealing anything confidential in the interview itself.
Listen for: Specific uses, a habit of checking output before it goes out under the executive's name, and awareness of what should never be pasted into an outside tool.
Listen for: Self-awareness about communication style, pace and feedback. Compare the answer with how your executive actually works.
Template
Use this as the base for a senior or C-suite EA posting. The authority line in the summary is the one most postings leave out.
We are hiring an executive assistant to the [title]. You will manage the executive's calendar, communications, travel and priorities, with authority to [accept and decline meetings / respond on their behalf / approve expenses up to an amount]. You will work closely with the leadership team and [number] other assistants, [on site / hybrid / remote] in [city].
Pitfalls
These mistakes cost more in an EA search than in most hires, because the assistant sits so close to the executive.
Working chemistry is half the job. Put the executive in the first interview round, even for 20 minutes, so the shortlist is shaped by their reaction.
Supporting several leaders is a different job from supporting one. If that is the plan, say so, and name who wins when priorities collide.
Nearly every finalist knows Outlook. Give a scenario instead: a double-booked board call, a missed connection and an urgent email from a client, all in the same hour.
Decide in advance which inboxes, drives and systems the EA can open and what they sign. If your company is public, check whether your insider trading policy covers assistants who see board or earnings materials.
The U.S. median is $76,590, but the San Francisco median is $105,190. Price from the metro where the person will work, or from the candidate's location for a remote role.
If the job is mostly scheduling and documents for a team, the administrative assistant scope and pay may fit better and keep the title meaningful.
National pay
National BLS percentiles for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants. Seniority of the executive and the size of the organization drive most of the spread.
Middle half of all workers (25th to 75th percentile)
Near the 10th percentile ($50,560) you will find assistants to directors or newly promoted EAs. The median ($76,590) fits an experienced EA to a vice president or a smaller-company CEO. The 75th to 90th percentiles ($94,390 to $109,850) are typical of C-suite support in large organizations or high-cost metros, before any bonus. Annual pay, all U.S. employers, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), occupation: Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants. Pay by level and city: Executive Assistant salary guide.
Request talent
Tell us who the assistant will support, what they can decide on that person's behalf and whether the search must stay confidential.
Looking for a job instead? Submit your resume or browse open jobs.
FAQ
An EA works for a senior leader's time and decisions, not a team's paperwork. BLS describes the role as high-level support: reviewing documents, research, writing reports and sometimes supervising clerical staff. In practice, an EA often decides who gets on the calendar, drafts in the executive's voice and prepares board or leadership materials. An administrative assistant usually supports several people with scheduling, documents and office tasks.
Salary is the main cost. The national BLS median for executive assistants was $76,590 in May 2025, with the middle half between $61,390 and $94,390. Metro pay varies widely, from $64,710 in Tampa to $105,190 in San Francisco among our markets. Agency fees depend on the service you choose. Our executive assistant salary guide breaks pay down further.
Consider a confidential executive search when you are replacing an EA who does not yet know, when the executive is high-profile, or when the assistant will support a board or CEO directly. Most other EA roles work well as a direct hire. Contract EAs are useful for leave coverage or while a new executive settles in and decides what support they need.
Many parts of the job can be done remotely: calendars, email, travel and documents. Remote EAs work best when the executive is also remote or travels often. If the executive is in the office every day and needs someone to manage visitors, materials and the room, an on-site or hybrid EA usually works better. Decide this before the search, because it changes which pay market you compete in.
An EA runs the executive's time and logistics. A chief of staff usually runs a part of the executive's agenda: cross-team projects, planning cycles and follow-through on decisions, often with more authority over other leaders. Some companies blend the two in a senior EA role. If you want strategy and project ownership, say so in the posting and price the role above standard EA pay.
Our executive support recruiters build the search around the executive's style and authority, and you review every candidate in a private Employer Portal.
How can we help?
We got it!
A recruiter will reach out shortly.
Application Submitted!
Thank you for applying. We'll review your application and get back to you soon.