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

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Salary in Houston, TX

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earn a median $46,750 a year — 2% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $39,744 take-home, or $3,312 a month.

Median salary
$46,750
$22.48 per hour
Typical range
$29,770 – $65,940
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Houston, TX
33,710
0.93× national concentration
▲2.1%
Pay trend: The median for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive in Houston, TX rose from $45,790 (May 2024) to $46,750 (May 2025). That roughly kept pace with inflation (2.4%).

Take-home pay calculator

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

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Houston, TX
Deductions, kids & local tax

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

Your take-home pay
$39,744
per year · effective tax rate 15.0%
$3,312Monthly
$1,656Twice a month
$1,529Every 2 weeks
$19.11Hourly
  • Federal income tax$3,430
  • Social Security (6.2%)$2,899
  • Medicare (1.45%)$678
  • Texas income tax$0
  • Take-home pay$39,744

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 0.00% 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 Houston, TX

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$29,770$14.31$26,100$2,175
25th percentile$36,630$17.61$31,612$2,634
Median (50th)$46,750$22.48$39,744$3,312
75th percentile$57,560$27.67$48,429$4,036
90th percentile (top earners)$65,940$31.70$55,163$4,597

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

What $46,750 buys in Houston, TX

Prices in Houston, TX are 1.4% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.05× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive's $39,744 take-home pay has the buying power of $40,296 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,316
40% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,558
47% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$1,996
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 Houston, TX as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.93).

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

Houston, TX ranks #44 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
44Houston, TX$46,750$39,744$40,296

*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 Texas

Frequently asked questions

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

The median secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive salary in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area is $46,750 a year, or about $22.48 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $36,630 and $57,560.

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

On the median $46,750 salary, a single filer living in Texas takes home about $39,744 a year ($3,312 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare in 2026.

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

Pay here is 2% below the national median of $47,540. Local prices are 1.4% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $40,296 would in a typical U.S. city. Houston, TX ranks #44 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 Houston, TX?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Houston, TX is $1,316 a month ($1,558 for two bedrooms) — 40% 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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