Administrative Assistant salary in El Centro, CA
No other area in California pays administrative assistants less than El Centro. The median is $49,150 a year1, 11.3% below the California statewide median of $55,400 and 3.4% above the US median of $47,540. That is in the top quarter of US areas (#86 of 520). About 540 administrative assistants work here.
BLS occupation 43-6014, area El Centro, CA. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in El Centro against California and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Centro, CA | $37,230 | $49,150 | $72,200 | |
| California | $38,060 | $55,400 | $78,170 | |
| United States | $33,280 | $47,540 | $66,350 |
The middle half of administrative assistants in El Centro earns $43,550–$60,130. The top tenth earns $72,200 or more, 1.9 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 2.0 times. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $16,580 wide, against $19,010 across California and $19,170 nationally: employers in El Centro pay within a narrower band.
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 | $37,230 | $3,102 | $17.90 | $48,039 |
| 25th percentile | $43,550 | $3,629 | $20.94 | $56,194 |
| Median | $49,150 | $4,096 | $23.63 | $63,419 |
| 75th percentile | $60,130 | $5,011 | $28.91 | $77,587 |
| 90th percentile | $72,200 | $6,017 | $34.71 | $93,161 |
Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $10,980 over the median, the 25th only $5,600 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $14,168 a year in employer cost. 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 El Centro, and the California statewide median of $55,400 falls between the median and the 75th percentile.
What a hire really costs in El Centro
At the $49,150 median, a local hire costs about $63,419 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $14,269 here. 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 El Centro
Of the 16 roles we track in El Centro, this one ranks #10 by median pay, between sales development representatives ($53,240) and bookkeepers ($47,960). Project Coordinator is the highest at $105,860.
| Role | Median | vs administrative assistant | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll Specialist | +17.2% | 100 | |
| Sales Development Representative | +8.3% | 200 | |
| Administrative Assistant | this role | 540 | |
| Bookkeeper | -2.4% | 530 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | -5.9% | 360 |
Measured against the US median, administrative assistants rank #3 of the 16 roles we track in El Centro (+3.4%), between project coordinators (+3.5%) and customer support specialists (+3.3%). The typical role here is at -0.9%, so, measured against the US, administrative assistants cost more in El Centro than the area's general pay level would suggest. Administrative assistants hold 14.9% of the jobs in these 16 roles in El Centro, 9.6% across California and 10.8% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in California
Across the 28 areas of California with data for this job, the median runs from $49,150 in El Centro to $62,940 in San Jose-Sunnyvale, a gap of $13,790 a year. All 25 areas in California with more administrative assistants than El Centro also pay more, among them Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA ($53,550) and San Francisco-Oakland, CA ($62,110).
| Area | Median | vs El Centro | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuba City, CA | +4.7% | 520 | |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | +3.8% | 1,170 | |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | +3.7% | 2,730 | |
| Fresno, CA | +1.9% | 3,870 | |
| Redding, CA | +1.6% | 580 | |
| Chico, CA | +1.3% | 810 | |
| El Centro, CA | this area | 540 |
El Centro against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, El Centro is #441 of 520 US areas for this job. The market is small, but its pay is in the top quarter of US areas. Outside California, Baltimore-Columbia and Carson City pay just above El Centro and Eugene-Springfield and Midland just below. All four are within $140 a year of the median in El Centro. Of the three markets with about as many administrative assistants, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs El Centro | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson City, NV | +0.2% | 960 | pay | |
| Baltimore-Columbia, MD | +0.1% | 29,780 | pay | |
| El Centro, CA | this area | 540 | ||
| Eugene-Springfield, OR | -0.0% | 1,670 | pay | |
| Midland, MI | -0.3% | 500 | pay | |
| Kankakee, IL | -9.0% | 540 | jobs | |
| Grand Island, NE | -9.6% | 540 | jobs | |
| Greenville, NC | -9.8% | 540 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire an administrative assistant in El Centro, CA?
About $63,419 a year at the median, or $5,285 a month: $49,150 in pay plus about $14,269 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do administrative assistants earn in El Centro?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $49,150 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $37,230, the 90th $72,200, and the middle half earned $43,550 to $60,130.
Is El Centro the cheapest area in California for administrative assistants?
Yes. Its median of $49,150 is the lowest of 28 areas in California. Chico is next at $49,810.
How many administrative assistants work in El Centro?
BLS counts about 540 in the May 2025 survey. 25 areas in California have more; the closest in size is the Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetro area, with about 560.
Does an administrative assistant cost more than a bookkeeper in El Centro?
Yes: $1,190 a year more at the median. The medians are $49,150 and $47,960.
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.