Administrative Assistant salary in Bloomington, IL
No other area in Illinois pays administrative assistants more than Bloomington: the median is $51,880 a year1. That is 7.4% above the Illinois statewide median of $48,310, and 9.1% above the US median of $47,540. Only 46 of 520 US areas pay more for this job. BLS counts about 930 people in this job here, 1% of the Illinois total.
BLS occupation 43-6014, area Bloomington, IL. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Bloomington against Illinois and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington, IL | $33,860 | $51,880 | $79,460 | |
| Illinois | $31,930 | $48,310 | $76,790 | |
| United States | $33,280 | $47,540 | $66,350 |
Pay is more spread out here than nationally: the top tenth earns $79,460 or more, 2.3 times the bottom tenth, against 2.0 times across the US. Two offers for the same title can sit far apart. The middle half of administrative assistants in Bloomington earns $41,950–$64,610. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $22,660 wide, wider than in Illinois as a whole ($22,130) and the US ($19,170), so what a administrative assistant earns in Bloomington depends more on the employer.
What to budget for an administrative assistant here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,860 | $2,822 | $16.28 | $43,690 |
| 25th percentile | $41,950 | $3,496 | $20.17 | $54,129 |
| Median | $51,880 | $4,323 | $24.94 | $66,942 |
| 75th percentile | $64,610 | $5,384 | $31.06 | $83,368 |
| 90th percentile | $79,460 | $6,622 | $38.20 | $102,529 |
The step from the 25th percentile to the median is $9,930 a year; from the median to the 75th it is $12,730, or about $16,426 once benefits are added. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $47,540 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Bloomington, and the Illinois statewide median of $48,310 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Bloomington
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $15,062 to the $51,880 median and brings it to $66,942 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for administrative assistants we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in Bloomington
Of the 14 roles we track in Bloomington, this one ranks #8 by median pay, between paralegals ($60,160) and medical administrative assistants ($45,940). Project Coordinator is the highest at $101,110.
| Role | Median | vs administrative assistant | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales Development Representative | +19.2% | 540 | |
| Paralegal | +16.0% | 260 | |
| Administrative Assistant | this role | 930 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | -11.4% | 390 | |
| Bookkeeper | -12.8% | 590 |
Measured against the US median, this job is the best paid of the 14 roles we track in Bloomington (+9.1%); HR assistants come last (-13.1%). The typical role here is at -7.8%, so, measured against the US, administrative assistants cost more in Bloomington than the area's general pay level would suggest. Administrative assistants hold 13.8% of the jobs in these 14 roles in Bloomington, 14.1% across Illinois and 12.7% nationally. That is close to the national mix.
Other areas in Illinois
Across the 12 areas of Illinois with data for this job, the median runs from $37,040 in the South Illinois nonmetro area to $51,880 in Bloomington, a gap of $14,840 a year. All 9 areas in Illinois with more administrative assistants than Bloomington pay less, among them Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN ($50,440) and the South Illinois nonmetro area ($37,040).
| Area | Median | vs Bloomington | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington, IL | this area | 930 | |
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN | -2.8% | 50,190 | |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | -7.0% | 1,220 | |
| Springfield, IL | -8.3% | 1,290 | |
| Peoria, IL | -10.3% | 2,010 | |
| Rockford, IL | -11.1% | 1,360 | |
| Decatur, IL | -11.5% | 500 |
Bloomington against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Bloomington is #339 of 520 US areas for this job. It is a mid-sized market, and its pay is in the top quarter of US areas. Outside Illinois, Visalia and Portland-South Portland pay just above Bloomington and Providence-Warwick and Santa Maria-Santa Barbara just below. All four are within $120 a year of the median in Bloomington. Of the three markets with about as many administrative assistants, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Bloomington | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland-South Portland, ME | +0.2% | 2,930 | pay | |
| Visalia, CA | +0.1% | 1,390 | pay | |
| Bloomington, IL | this area | 930 | ||
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | -0.2% | 7,020 | pay | |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | -0.2% | 1,930 | pay | |
| Kingston, NY | -6.3% | 920 | jobs | |
| Odessa, TX | -13.1% | 920 | jobs | |
| Alexandria, LA | -30.8% | 950 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire an administrative assistant in Bloomington, IL?
About $66,942 a year at the median, or $5,578 a month: $51,880 in pay plus about $15,062 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do administrative assistants earn in Bloomington?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $51,880 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $33,860, the 90th $79,460, and the middle half earned $41,950 to $64,610.
Is Bloomington the most expensive area in Illinois for administrative assistants?
Yes. Its median of $51,880 is the highest of 12 areas in Illinois. Chicago-Naperville comes next at $50,440.
How many administrative assistants work in Bloomington?
BLS counts about 930 in the May 2025 survey. That is 1% of the Illinois total of 74,280. 9 areas in Illinois have more; the closest in size is Champaign-Urbana, with about 1,220.
Does an administrative assistant cost more than a medical administrative assistant in Bloomington?
Yes: $5,940 a year more at the median. The medians are $51,880 and $45,940.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-6014: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.