Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Salary in Las Cruces, NM

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in the Las Cruces, NM metro area earn a median $41,030 a year — 14% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $34,351 take-home, or $2,863 a month.

Median salary
$41,030
$19.73 per hour
Typical range
$31,200 – $56,190
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Las Cruces, NM
2,360
2.69× national concentration
▲2.9%
Pay trend: The median for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive in Las Cruces, NM rose from $39,860 (May 2024) to $41,030 (May 2025). That beat inflation (2.4%), a real raise of about 0.5%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive salary in Las Cruces, NM. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Las Cruces, NM
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$34,351
per year · effective tax rate 16.3%
$2,863Monthly
$1,431Twice a month
$1,321Every 2 weeks
$16.51Hourly
  • Federal income tax$2,744
  • Social Security (6.2%)$2,544
  • Medicare (1.45%)$595
  • New Mexico income tax$797
  • Take-home pay$34,351

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.30% state

Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive pay by experience in Las Cruces, NM

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$31,200$15.00$26,860$2,238
25th percentile$36,500$17.55$30,906$2,575
Median (50th)$41,030$19.73$34,351$2,863
75th percentile$48,460$23.30$40,001$3,333
90th percentile (top earners)$56,190$27.01$45,853$3,821

Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, New Mexico resident, 2026 tax rules.

What $41,030 buys in Las Cruces, NM

Prices in Las Cruces, NM are 9.8% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 37% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive's $34,351 take-home pay has the buying power of $38,078 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$951
33% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,042
36% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$1,912
per month for everything else

Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

Las Cruces, NM has 2.7× the national concentration of secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive jobs — a strong local market for this occupation.

Best-paying cities for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive, adjusted for cost of living

Las Cruces, NM ranks #93 of 111 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1New Haven, CT $63,800$51,497$49,252
2Seattle, WA $60,230$50,575$45,508
3San Jose, CA $62,940$50,108$45,378
4Hartford, CT $55,940$45,535$44,319
5Bridgeport, CT $57,440$46,673$43,675
6Boston, MA $59,330$47,105$43,509
7Madison, WI $51,410$42,007$43,178
8Nashville, TN $49,000$41,552$43,131
93Las Cruces, NM$41,030$34,351$38,078

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 111 metros →

About the job: secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive

Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.

Typical education
High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
-6.0% (declining)

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive salaries elsewhere in New Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How much does a secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive make in Las Cruces, NM?

The median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive salary in the Las Cruces, NM metro area is $41,030 a year, or about $19.73 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $36,500 and $48,460.

What is a secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive’s take-home pay in Las Cruces, NM?

On the median $41,030 salary, a single filer living in New Mexico takes home about $34,351 a year ($2,863 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $797 in New Mexico taxes in 2026.

Is Las Cruces, NM a good place to work as a secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive?

Pay here is 14% below the national median of $47,540. Local prices are 9.8% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $38,078 would in a typical U.S. city. Las Cruces, NM ranks #93 of 111 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive afford rent in Las Cruces, NM?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Las Cruces, NM is $951 a month ($1,042 for two bedrooms) — 33% of a median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

Cost of living & all salaries in Las Cruces, NM →