Administrative Assistant salary in the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area

Pay in the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area against Alabama and the US

The middle half of administrative assistants in the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area earns $32,930–$47,350. The top tenth earns $55,430 or more, 2.0 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 2.0 times. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $14,420 wide, between the figure for Alabama ($13,540) and the US figure ($19,170).

What to budget for an administrative assistant here

The step from the 25th percentile to the median is $6,500 a year; from the median to the 75th it is $7,920, or about $10,219 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 75th and 90th percentiles in the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area, and the Alabama statewide median of $41,630 falls between the median and the 75th percentile. An offer at the national rate would beat what three quarters of local administrative assistants earn.

What a hire really costs in the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area

At the $39,430 median, a local hire costs about $50,877 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry², about $11,447 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 the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area

Of the 13 roles we track in the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area, this one ranks #10 by median pay, between payroll specialists ($42,490) and customer support specialists ($38,180). Accountant is the highest at $71,420.

Measured against the US median, administrative assistants rank #5 of the 13 roles we track in the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area (-17.1%), between office managers (-15.0%) and virtual receptionists (-20.0%). The typical role here is at -21.5%, so, measured against the US, administrative assistants cost more in the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area than the area's general pay level would suggest. Administrative assistants hold 27.9% of the jobs in these 13 roles in the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area, 21.3% across Alabama and 11.8% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.

Other areas in Alabama

Across the 16 areas of Alabama with data for this job, the median runs from $37,480 in the Southeast Alabama nonmetro area to $46,090 in Huntsville, a gap of $8,610 a year. Of the 10 areas in Alabama with more administrative assistants than the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area, 3 pay less: the Northeast Alabama nonmetro area ($39,000), the Southeast Alabama nonmetro area ($37,480) and the Southwest Alabama nonmetro area ($38,120).

the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area against other US metro areas

By number of jobs, the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area is #225 of 520 US areas for this job. It is a mid-sized market, and its pay is in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Alabama, Topeka and South Bend-Mishawaka pay just above the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area and Sebring and Abilene just below. All four are within $80 a year of the median in the Northwest Alabama nonmetro area. Of the three markets with about as many administrative assistants, all three pay more.

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How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.