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

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Salary in Trenton, NJ

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area earn a median $54,050 a year — 14% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $44,171 take-home, or $3,681 a month.

Median salary
$54,050
$25.99 per hour
Typical range
$37,490 – $75,710
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Trenton, NJ
3,680
1.40× national concentration
▲4.6%
Pay trend: The median for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive in Trenton, NJ rose from $51,690 (May 2024) to $54,050 (May 2025). That beat inflation (2.4%), a real raise of about 2.2%.

Take-home pay calculator

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

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Trenton, NJ
Deductions, kids & local tax

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

Your take-home pay
$44,171
per year · effective tax rate 18.3%
$3,681Monthly
$1,840Twice a month
$1,699Every 2 weeks
$21.24Hourly
  • Federal income tax$4,306
  • Social Security (6.2%)$3,351
  • Medicare (1.45%)$784
  • New Jersey income tax$1,439
  • Take-home pay$44,171

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 5.53% 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 Trenton, NJ

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$37,490$18.02$31,709$2,642
25th percentile$45,450$21.85$37,736$3,145
Median (50th)$54,050$25.99$44,171$3,681
75th percentile$63,860$30.70$51,511$4,293
90th percentile (top earners)$75,710$36.40$59,457$4,955

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

What $54,050 buys in Trenton, NJ

Prices in Trenton, NJ are 3.2% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.35× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive's $44,171 take-home pay has the buying power of $42,809 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,545
42% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,950
53% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$2,136
per month for everything else

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

Trenton, NJ has 1.4× 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

Trenton, NJ ranks #11 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
11Trenton, NJ$54,050$44,171$42,809

*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 Jersey

Frequently asked questions

How much does a secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive make in Trenton, NJ?

The median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive salary in the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area is $54,050 a year, or about $25.99 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $45,450 and $63,860.

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

On the median $54,050 salary, a single filer living in New Jersey takes home about $44,171 a year ($3,681 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,439 in New Jersey taxes in 2026.

Is Trenton, NJ a good place to work as a secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive?

Pay here is 14% above the national median of $47,540. Local prices are 3.2% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $42,809 would in a typical U.S. city. Trenton, NJ ranks #11 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 Trenton, NJ?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Trenton, NJ is $1,545 a month ($1,950 for two bedrooms) — 42% 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%.

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