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

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Salary in Detroit, MI

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area earn a median $47,330 a year — 0% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $38,449 take-home, or $3,204 a month.

Median salary
$47,330
$22.75 per hour
Typical range
$34,080 – $65,240
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Detroit, MI
16,970
0.81× national concentration
▲1.8%
Pay trend: The median for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive in Detroit, MI rose from $46,480 (May 2024) to $47,330 (May 2025). That trailed inflation (2.4%), so buying power slipped about 0.6%.

Take-home pay calculator

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

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Detroit, MI
Deductions, kids & local tax

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

Your take-home pay
$38,449
per year · effective tax rate 18.8%
$3,204Monthly
$1,602Twice a month
$1,479Every 2 weeks
$18.49Hourly
  • Federal income tax$3,500
  • Social Security (6.2%)$2,934
  • Medicare (1.45%)$686
  • Michigan income tax$1,761
  • Take-home pay$38,449

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.25% state

Living in Detroit? City residents also pay Detroit’s city income tax — about $1,136 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $37,313 ($3,109 a month). Choose “Detroit” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.

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 Detroit, MI

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$34,080$16.38$28,366$2,364
25th percentile$39,800$19.13$32,719$2,727
Median (50th)$47,330$22.75$38,449$3,204
75th percentile$55,700$26.78$44,818$3,735
90th percentile (top earners)$65,240$31.37$52,078$4,340

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

What $47,330 buys in Detroit, MI

Prices in Detroit, MI are 0.3% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 5% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive's $38,449 take-home pay has the buying power of $38,335 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,128
35% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,413
44% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$2,076
per month for everything else

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

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive jobs are about as common in Detroit, MI as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.81).

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

Detroit, MI ranks #87 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
87Detroit, MI$47,330$38,449$38,335

*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 Michigan

Frequently asked questions

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

The median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive salary in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area is $47,330 a year, or about $22.75 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $39,800 and $55,700.

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

On the median $47,330 salary, a single filer living in Michigan takes home about $38,449 a year ($3,204 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,761 in Michigan taxes in 2026.

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

Pay here is 0% below the national median of $47,540. Local prices are 0.3% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $38,335 would in a typical U.S. city. Detroit, MI ranks #87 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 Detroit, MI?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Detroit, MI is $1,128 a month ($1,413 for two bedrooms) — 35% 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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