Hiring an administrative services manager in Washington, DC

Employers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area pay administrative services managers a median of $130,130, with the middle half of the market between $98,320 and $173,550. Washington residents working in management occupations report a median of $121,675, which is 6% below what the metro pays for this role.

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What does an administrative services manager earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$98,320
Median	$130,130
75th percentile	$173,550

Half of administrative services managers in this area earn between $98,320 and $173,550. A band set below $98,320 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Washington residents earn

$121,675

Median earnings of Washington residents working in management occupations, 66,741 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 6% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The two sit close together, so pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Prepare and review operational reports and schedules to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
Set goals and deadlines for the department.
Acquire, distribute and store supplies.
Analyze internal processes and recommend and implement procedural or policy changes to improve operations, such as supply changes or the disposal of records.
Conduct classes to teach procedures to staff.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 11-3012.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, Atlassian JIRA, Autodesk AutoCAD.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Washington?

This is a job zone three: medium preparation needed occupation. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 63.6% of Washington adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Washington commute runs 30.3 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 29.4% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In District of Columbia, management of companies and enterprises employs 3,174 and turns over 7.3% a quarter, with 373 hires against 347 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $35,575 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 55.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about administrative services managers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $26,026 to $39,039 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.