Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant Salary in St. Louis, MO
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earn a median $45,620 a year — 1% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $37,629 take-home, or $3,136 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median medical secretary and administrative assistant salary in St. Louis, MO. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$3,294
- Social Security (6.2%)$2,828
- Medicare (1.45%)$661
- Missouri income tax$1,207
- Take-home pay$37,629
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.70% state
Living in St. Louis? City residents also pay St. Louis’s Earnings Tax — about $456 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $37,173 ($3,098 a month). Choose “St. Louis” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
The St. Louis, MO-IL metro spans Missouri, Illinois. Pick the state you live in — state income tax follows your residence.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant pay by experience in St. Louis, MO
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $36,310 | $17.46 | $30,586 | $2,549 |
| 25th percentile | $39,030 | $18.76 | $32,644 | $2,720 |
| Median (50th) | $45,620 | $21.93 | $37,629 | $3,136 |
| 75th percentile | $50,530 | $24.29 | $41,343 | $3,445 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $56,090 | $26.97 | $45,549 | $3,796 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Missouri resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $45,620 buys in St. Louis, MO
Prices in St. Louis, MO are 4.9% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 21% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median medical secretary and administrative assistant's $37,629 take-home pay has the buying power of $39,573 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant jobs are less concentrated in St. Louis, MO than nationally (location quotient 0.79), so openings may be scarcer.
Best-paying cities for medical secretaries and administrative assistants, adjusted for cost of living
St. Louis, MO ranks #16 of 69 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $69,350 | $54,380 | $49,247 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $60,350 | $50,671 | $45,595 |
| 3 | Sacramento, CA | $57,730 | $46,302 | $43,407 |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | $61,330 | $48,932 | $42,324 |
| 5 | Winston, NC | $46,370 | $38,097 | $41,390 |
| 6 | Cleveland, OH | $45,920 | $38,596 | $41,094 |
| 7 | Albuquerque, NM | $47,310 | $39,127 | $40,950 |
| 8 | Cincinnati, OH | $46,180 | $38,798 | $40,682 |
| 16 | St. Louis, MO | $45,620 | $37,629 | $39,573 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 69 metros →
About the job: medical secretaries and administrative assistants
Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.
- Typical education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +4.8% (about average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant salaries elsewhere in Missouri
- Kansas City, MO — $45,160
Frequently asked questions
How much does a medical secretary and administrative assistant make in St. Louis, MO?
The median medical secretary and administrative assistant salary in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area is $45,620 a year, or about $21.93 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $39,030 and $50,530.
What is a medical secretary and administrative assistant’s take-home pay in St. Louis, MO?
On the median $45,620 salary, a single filer living in Missouri takes home about $37,629 a year ($3,136 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,207 in Missouri taxes in 2026.
Is St. Louis, MO a good place to work as a medical secretary and administrative assistant?
Pay here is 1% below the national median of $45,930. Local prices are 4.9% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $39,573 would in a typical U.S. city. St. Louis, MO ranks #16 of 69 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a medical secretary and administrative assistant afford rent in St. Louis, MO?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in St. Louis, MO is $989 a month ($1,211 for two bedrooms) — 32% of a median medical secretary and administrative assistant’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in St. Louis, MO
- First-Line Supervisor of Office and Administrative Support Workers — $68,590
- Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant — $63,500
- Postal Service Mail Carrier — $62,070
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks — $51,260
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks — $49,970
- Billing and Posting Clerk — $47,490
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive — $46,200
- Customer Service Representative — $45,800
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks — $45,340
- Office Clerks, General — $44,980
- Teller — $38,890
- Receptionist and Information Clerk — $36,470