Administrative Assistant salary in State College, PA

Pay in State College against Pennsylvania and the US

The middle half of administrative assistants in State College earns $37,780–$51,720. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $57,220, only 1.6 times the bottom tenth, against 2.0 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. The mean ($46,180) is no higher than the median, so few high earners skew the figures here. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $13,940 wide, against $15,110 across Pennsylvania and $19,170 nationally: employers in State College pay within a narrower band.

What to budget for an administrative assistant here

Local pay is bunched just above the median: the 75th percentile is only $4,020 over it, while the 25th sits $9,920 below. Moving an offer from the median to the 75th percentile costs about $5,187 more a year with benefits. 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 State College, and the Pennsylvania statewide median of $46,270 falls there too.

What a hire really costs in State College

At the $47,700 median, a local hire costs about $61,548 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry², about $13,848 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 State College

Of the 15 roles we track in State College, this one ranks #11 by median pay, between HR assistants ($48,810) and bookkeepers ($46,370). Project Coordinator is the highest at $81,820.

Measured against the US median, this job is the best paid of the 15 roles we track in State College (+0.3%); marketing specialists come last (-22.5%). The typical role here is at -12.1%, so, measured against the US, administrative assistants cost more in State College than the area's general pay level would suggest. Administrative assistants hold 19.2% of the jobs in these 15 roles in State College, 11.6% across Pennsylvania and 10.9% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.

Other areas in Pennsylvania

Across the 20 areas of Pennsylvania with data for this job, the median runs from $38,660 in Johnstown to $48,850 in Philadelphia-Camden, a gap of $10,190 a year. Of the 13 areas in Pennsylvania with more administrative assistants than State College, 12 pay less, the largest of them Pittsburgh, PA ($45,550), Allentown-Bethlehem, PA-NJ ($47,080) and Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA ($47,430).

State College against other US metro areas

By number of jobs, State College is #297 of 520 US areas for this job. Both its size and its pay sit in the middle half of US areas. Outside Pennsylvania, Duluth and Charleston-North Charleston pay just above State College and Helena and Albany just below. All four are within $100 a year of the median in State College. Of the three markets with about as many administrative assistants, none pays as much.

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Sources

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