Insights / Hardest metros by occupation / California
10 metros where Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants are hardest to fill
The hard Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants conversation is San Jose, score 6.8, pay about $69.4K, 51% above the national median.
Send Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants recruiters to San Jose first. The score is 6.8, elevated band, and the metro pays about $69.4K, 51% above the national median.
On supply, San Jose has slightly fewer of these workers than a typical metro for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, mix figure 0.90, with 5.583 jobs per 1,000.
Milwaukee, WI is as far as the scored Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants list goes, at 6.0, elevated.
Write the San Jose offer from the metro median.
December 2025 put all-industry openings in California at 3.6 for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Against a U.S. rate of 4.0, California was under for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.
Each metro
1San Jose, CA
- Score
- 6.8
- Band
- Elevated
- Location quotient
- 0.90
- Jobs per 1,000
- 5.583
- Metro median
- $69,350
- Pay ratio
- 1.51
2Seattle, WA
- Score
- 6.8
- Band
- Elevated
- Location quotient
- 0.50
- Jobs per 1,000
- 3.078
- Metro median
- $60,350
- Pay ratio
- 1.31
3San Francisco, CA
- Score
- 6.6
- Band
- Elevated
- Location quotient
- 0.93
- Jobs per 1,000
- 5.753
- Metro median
- $61,330
- Pay ratio
- 1.34
4Minneapolis, MN
- Score
- 6.5
- Band
- Elevated
- Location quotient
- 0.74
- Jobs per 1,000
- 4.571
- Metro median
- $51,870
- Pay ratio
- 1.13
5Sacramento, CA
- Score
- 6.2
- Band
- Elevated
- Location quotient
- 1.15
- Jobs per 1,000
- 7.133
- Metro median
- $57,730
- Pay ratio
- 1.26
6Bridgeport, CT
- Score
- 6.2
- Band
- Elevated
- Location quotient
- 0.63
- Jobs per 1,000
- 3.887
- Metro median
- $50,090
- Pay ratio
- 1.09
7Boston, MA
- Score
- 6.1
- Band
- Elevated
- Location quotient
- 0.98
- Jobs per 1,000
- 6.039
- Metro median
- $51,600
- Pay ratio
- 1.12
8Urban Honolulu, HI
- Score
- 6.0
- Band
- Elevated
- Location quotient
- 0.57
- Jobs per 1,000
- 3.543
- Metro median
- $49,460
- Pay ratio
- 1.08
9New York, NY
- Score
- 6.0
- Band
- Elevated
- Location quotient
- 0.90
- Jobs per 1,000
- 5.546
- Metro median
- $49,230
- Pay ratio
- 1.07
10Milwaukee, WI
- Score
- 6.0
- Band
- Elevated
- Location quotient
- 0.44
- Jobs per 1,000
- 2.706
- Metro median
- $48,560
- Pay ratio
- 1.06
Ranked table
Swipe the table sideways. The same figures are in the blocks above.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Band | Location quotient | Jobs per 1,000 | Metro median | Pay ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | 6.8 | Elevated | 0.90 | 5.583 | $69,350 | 1.51 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | 6.8 | Elevated | 0.50 | 3.078 | $60,350 | 1.31 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | 6.6 | Elevated | 0.93 | 5.753 | $61,330 | 1.34 |
| 4 | Minneapolis, MN | 6.5 | Elevated | 0.74 | 4.571 | $51,870 | 1.13 |
| 5 | Sacramento, CA | 6.2 | Elevated | 1.15 | 7.133 | $57,730 | 1.26 |
| 6 | Bridgeport, CT | 6.2 | Elevated | 0.63 | 3.887 | $50,090 | 1.09 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | 6.1 | Elevated | 0.98 | 6.039 | $51,600 | 1.12 |
| 8 | Urban Honolulu, HI | 6.0 | Elevated | 0.57 | 3.543 | $49,460 | 1.08 |
| 9 | New York, NY | 6.0 | Elevated | 0.90 | 5.546 | $49,230 | 1.07 |
| 10 | Milwaukee, WI | 6.0 | Elevated | 0.44 | 2.706 | $48,560 | 1.06 |
Takeaways
- San Jose, CA leads this Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants list at 6.8.
- The mix figure for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in San Jose is 0.90.
- Metro pay in San Jose is about $69.4K, 51% above the national median.
- Keep Milwaukee, WI as the bottom scored row, at 6.0.
For recruiters
- Set the wage from the San Jose, CA median.
- Tell the panel which metro is the backup.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Related hiring pages
Methodology
Rows are the scored metro pages for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6013) with the highest public market difficulty score, up to 10. Metros under 500 workers are not scored. A metro page is scored only when OEWS employment for that occupation is at least 500. Below that, the page stays up and is left off this ranking. Postsecondary teaching occupations and medical scientists are left off even when they are scored. Nominal weights, before a missing shortage match is rescaled, are projected openings divided by 2025 employment 18%, projected growth 22%, the metro median divided by the U.S. median 40%, how common the occupation is locally compared with the country 8% (the location-quotient column; a lower figure means a thinner local bench), a matching HRSA shortage designation 8%, and statewide all-industry JOLTS for December 2025 4%. Bands are Standard under 4, Elevated from 4 up to 7, and Hard at 7 and above. The California total-nonfarm job openings rate for December 2025 is 3.6. The U.S. rate is 4.0. Both are all-industry JOLTS rates. The article is tagged to California because that state holds the leading metro, so the publishing calendar does not stack it with another California article the same day. Rounded figures in the prose: $69,350 is stated as about $69.4K. a comparison of 1.51 is stated as 51 percent. $45,930 is stated as about $45.9K.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · May 2025
- BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, total nonfarm · December 2025
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