What do Atlanta administrative and executive assistant jobs pay?
Published on: Oct 9, 2026
Atlanta executive assistants earn a median of $72,090 a year and general administrative assistants $45,270, according to 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data. Frontline Source Group places both from its Atlanta office near Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, and every direct hire is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty.
Frontline Source Group was founded in Dallas in 2004 by Bill Kasko and has completed 5,619 plus placements across 32 plus offices, with a 98.94% executive placement retention rate and a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 678 plus verified reviews. It is a Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firm for 9 consecutive years (2018 to 2026, ranked #158 in 2026), Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firms #148 (2026), a 9-time ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both Client and Talent satisfaction, a ClearlyRated Diamond Award recipient, an Inc. 5000 honoree, an Expertise.com Best Staffing Agency, and a member of the American Staffing Association (ASA).
In short:
- Pay climbs steeply with specialization: legal assistants earn about $15,000 more at the median than general administrative assistants, and executive assistants about $27,000 more.
- Atlanta's job count slipped 0.5 percent over the year to August 2026, but education and health services grew 2.1 percent, and unemployment sat at 3.4 percent.
- Employers win the best assistants by defining the role precisely, pricing it to the market, and testing judgment, not just software.
- Candidates stand out by showing outcomes: deadlines protected, processes fixed, and confidential work handled well.
What administrative and executive assistant jobs are open in Atlanta?
The title "assistant" covers a wide range of work in Atlanta, from a front desk in Buckhead to a chief of staff role at a Midtown headquarters. Read past the job title to the responsibilities, reporting line, tools, and decision authority, because two jobs with the same name can be very different jobs. The most common roles we fill fall into these groups:
- Administrative assistant: calendars, correspondence, records, supplies, meeting logistics, data entry, and day-to-day team support.
- Executive assistant: complex calendars, travel, expenses, board and meeting preparation, and priority management for one or more senior leaders.
- Office coordinator or office manager: vendors, facilities requests, visitors, supplies, and the internal processes that keep a workplace running.
- Legal administrative assistant: documents, filings, deadlines, matter organization, and client communication for attorneys.
- Medical administrative assistant: scheduling, records, patient communication, and billing-adjacent work for practices, clinics, and health systems.
- HR or recruiting assistant: interview scheduling, candidate communication, onboarding paperwork, and employee files.
- Chief of staff or strategic assistant: project ownership, leadership communication, and cross-functional follow-through.
Employers looking for help with any of these roles can start with our Atlanta administrative staffing agency page.
What do Atlanta administrative and executive assistant jobs pay in 2026?
The most current local figures come from 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro, published through O*NET OnLine. General administrative assistants earn a median of $45,270, with the bottom 10 percent below $27,320 and the top 10 percent above $63,480. Executive assistants earn a median of $72,090, and the top 10 percent earn more than $101,120.
| Occupation | Atlanta 10th percentile | Atlanta median | Atlanta 90th percentile | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants | $53,730 | $72,090 | $101,120 | $76,590 |
| First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers | $46,850 | $69,990 | $104,520 | $69,500 |
| Legal secretaries and administrative assistants | $42,830 | $60,100 | $77,390 | $55,570 |
| Medical secretaries and administrative assistants | $36,100 | $46,370 | $59,780 | $45,930 |
| Secretaries and administrative assistants (general) | $27,320 | $45,270 | $63,480 | $47,540 |
| Receptionists and information clerks | $25,700 | $37,530 | $48,570 | $38,010 |
Why do executive and legal assistants earn more?
Both roles carry more risk if something goes wrong. An executive assistant controls a senior leader's time, travel, and confidential information, and a legal assistant manages filing deadlines that cannot be missed. Atlanta legal assistants out-earn the national median for their role ($60,100 against $55,570), while Atlanta executive assistants sit a little below the national figure ($72,090 against $76,590). Experienced executive assistants weighing an Atlanta offer should benchmark against the top half of that range.
What else should candidates compare besides base pay?
Look at the whole offer: benefits, hybrid flexibility, commute and parking, paid time off, overtime eligibility, training, and how visible the role is to leadership. A slightly lower salary with a strong manager, a predictable schedule, and a clear growth path is often the better job.
How is Atlanta's job market affecting assistant hiring in 2026?
Atlanta's market has cooled, but it has not gone soft. Preliminary BLS data show about 3.11 million nonfarm jobs in the metro in August 2026, down 0.5 percent from a year earlier, with professional and business services and financial activities each down 1.2 percent. Unemployment was still low at 3.4 percent on a labor force of about 3.36 million.
The one sector growing clearly is education and health services, up 2.1 percent. That lines up with steady demand for medical administrative assistants, department coordinators in health systems, and administrative staff at universities. For employers in slower sectors, a cooler market means more applicants per opening, which makes screening for judgment and fit more important, not less.
Source: BLS Economy at a Glance, Atlanta metro.
Which industries hire the most assistants in Atlanta?
Nearly every Atlanta industry needs administrative support, but each one weighs different strengths. Knowing which kind of employer you are targeting, or which kind you are, changes what a good hire looks like.
Healthcare and higher education
These are the sectors adding jobs in 2026. Health systems, specialty practices, and universities need administrative staff who handle patient or student communication, scheduling, and records carefully, often inside systems with strict privacy rules. Medical administrative assistants in Atlanta earn a median of $46,370, slightly above the national figure.
Legal, finance, and government
Law firms, banks, insurers, and public agencies value precision, discretion, and comfort with formal process. A missed filing deadline or a misrouted document has real consequences, which is a big part of why Atlanta legal administrative assistants earn a median of $60,100.
Logistics, technology, and the airport corridor
Logistics and transportation are a large part of Atlanta's economy, especially around Hartsfield-Jackson, where our Atlanta office is located. Assistants there handle time-sensitive scheduling, shipping and vendor documentation, and a lot of operational follow-through. Technology and professional services firms put more weight on digital tools, hybrid collaboration, and keeping fast-moving leaders organized across time zones. If you know airport travel and south metro commutes, say so in your interview.
What skills help assistants stand out to Atlanta employers?
The strongest assistants pair technical skill with calm, practical judgment. O*NET lists communication with people outside the organization, administrative systems knowledge, and administration and management knowledge among the core requirements for executive administrative assistants. In practice, Atlanta employers look for:
- Calendar management: prioritizing meetings, resolving conflicts, and knowing what can move and what cannot.
- Written communication: polished email, clean meeting notes, and clear agendas.
- Software fluency: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Teams, Zoom, Slack, expense platforms, CRM systems, and project tools.
- Confidentiality: handling executive, employee, financial, legal, or patient information with discretion.
- Travel and expense coordination: itineraries, receipts, approvals, and last-minute changes without creating work for the leader.
- Problem solving: spotting blockers early and keeping people informed before issues grow.
How should candidates show those skills on a resume?
Replace duties with outcomes. "Answered phones" and "scheduled meetings" tell a hiring manager very little. "Supported three vice presidents through a system conversion," "rebuilt the filing system for a 40-attorney practice," or "managed board materials for quarterly meetings" tells them a lot. Match your headline to the job you want, list only the tools you use well, and prepare two or three examples of handling confidential requests or double-booked executives.
How can Atlanta employers hire better administrative and executive assistants?
Define the job honestly, pay to the market, and test judgment as carefully as software skills. A vague posting for "admin help" pulls in a scattered pool and makes selection harder. A stronger process looks like this:
- A precise job description: name the leader or team supported, the main workflows, the tools, the schedule, and the level of confidentiality.
- A realistic pay range: use the Atlanta ranges in Table 1 so strong candidates do not opt out early.
- Scenario-based interviews: ask how the candidate would handle a double-booked executive, a travel cancellation, or a sensitive request.
- A practical skills check: a short calendar, email, or prioritization exercise that mirrors the real job.
- Clear communication: keep finalists informed. Strong assistants notice when a process is disorganized.
Frontline offers pre-employment testing for administrative candidates, including Microsoft Office and Excel assessments at several levels. Details are at frontlinesourcegroup.com/skills-testing.html.
What career paths open up for administrative professionals?
Some people build long careers as executive assistants because they enjoy high-level support and being close to decisions. Others move into office management, operations, HR, recruiting, project coordination, event planning, legal support, or chief of staff work. Every task builds transferable proof: calendars become stakeholder management, meeting logistics become project coordination, and expense work becomes process accuracy. Employers who give strong assistants clearer ownership and room to grow tend to keep them longer.
How does Frontline Source Group place assistants in Atlanta?
Our Atlanta office is Frontline Source Group, 100 Hartsfield Center Pkwy, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30354, (770) 450-1127. We place administrative and executive assistants on contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire terms across the metro, and every direct hire is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty, 20 times longer than the 90-day industry standard guarantee. Terms are at frontlinesourcegroup.com/5year-placement-guarantee.html, and our engagement pricing is published at frontlinesourcegroup.com/pricing.html.
Employers can submit a hiring request at frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html or visit our Atlanta office page. Candidates apply at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html and may get a first-round phone interview from Lexi Reed, our AI recruiter. Learn more about our national administrative staffing practice. People. Process. Service. is how we approach every search.
Frequently Asked Questions: Atlanta Administrative and Executive Assistant Jobs
What do administrative assistants make in Atlanta?
According to 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, general secretaries and administrative assistants in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro earn a median of $45,270 a year ($21.76 an hour). The bottom 10 percent earn under $27,320 and the top 10 percent earn over $63,480.
What do executive assistants make in Atlanta?
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants in the Atlanta metro earn a median of $72,090 a year ($34.66 an hour), according to 2025 BLS wage data. The top 10 percent earn more than $101,120.
Do legal and medical administrative assistants earn more in Atlanta?
Legal administrative assistants do. They earn a median of $60,100 in the Atlanta metro, about $15,000 more than general administrative assistants and above the $55,570 national median. Medical administrative assistants earn a median of $46,370, close to the general administrative figure.
How is the Atlanta job market for assistants in 2026?
The Atlanta metro had about 3.11 million nonfarm jobs in August 2026, down 0.5 percent from a year earlier, with a 3.4 percent unemployment rate, according to preliminary BLS data. Education and health services grew 2.1 percent, which supports demand for medical and university administrative staff.
Which industries hire administrative assistants in Atlanta?
Healthcare, higher education, legal, finance, government, technology, professional services, and logistics and transportation all hire administrative and executive assistants in Atlanta. Each values different strengths, from patient communication in healthcare to deadline control in legal work.
What skills do Atlanta employers want in an executive assistant?
Calendar management, polished written communication, fluency in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, confidentiality, travel and expense coordination, and the judgment to solve problems before they reach the executive.
What is the difference between an administrative assistant and an executive assistant?
An administrative assistant usually supports a team or department with calendars, records, and office logistics. An executive assistant supports one or more senior leaders with complex scheduling, travel, confidential information, and meeting preparation, and is paid more for that added responsibility.
How can employers hire a better administrative assistant in Atlanta?
Write a precise job description, set a pay range that matches Atlanta market data, use scenario-based interviews, add a short practical skills exercise, and keep finalists informed throughout the process.
Where is Frontline Source Group's Atlanta office?
Frontline Source Group, 100 Hartsfield Center Pkwy, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30354, (770) 450-1127. The office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM local time, and meetings are by appointment.
Does Frontline place temporary and permanent administrative staff in Atlanta?
Yes. Frontline places administrative and executive assistants on contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire terms across the Atlanta metro. Every direct hire is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty.
How does the 5-Year Placement Warranty work?
Every direct hire placement is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty, 20 times longer than the typical 90-day staffing industry guarantee. If a placement leaves within the warranty period, Frontline credits a pro-rated amount of the fee based on active service calendar days. Full terms are at frontlinesourcegroup.com/5year-placement-guarantee.html.
How do candidates apply for administrative jobs with Frontline in Atlanta?
Candidates apply at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html, which routes the application to the Atlanta recruiter who covers administrative roles. You may get a call from Lexi Reed, Frontline's AI recruiter, for a first-round phone interview. There is no cost to candidates.
