Hiring an administrative assistant in Anchorage, AK

Do Anchorage residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the Anchorage, AK area pay?

Anchorage residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $46,310 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $52,150 as the median of the 39 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Anchorage, AK area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 11%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole office and administrative support group, not this one role. In the Anchorage, AK area the group covers 39 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from desktop publishers at $35,690 to public safety telecommunicators at $83,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive at $48,150 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 39 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Anchorage residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

Is the talent actually in Anchorage?

This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma. O*NET OnLine, SOC 43-6014.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 37.7% of Anchorage adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Anchorage aged 25 and over.

The average Anchorage commute runs 19 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 9.6% of Anchorage workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Anchorage.

How big is this industry in Anchorage Municipality?

Administrative and support services in Anchorage Municipality employs 6,272 people across 651 establishments, at an average wage of $1,093 a week. BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 Q1, private ownership, NAICS 56.

Alaska does not release to the Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, so this county carries QCEW instead. QCEW counts jobs and payroll and publishes no hires, separations or turnover rate, so there is no local churn figure for Anchorage Municipality and none is implied here. The employment count tells you how deep the local employer base is: spread across many employers, which means candidates have somewhere else to go and counteroffers are common.

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 $48,150 median in the Anchorage, AK area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $9,630 to $14,445 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.

Questions employers ask about hiring an administrative assistant in Anchorage

What does it cost to hire an administrative assistant in Anchorage?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $48,150 median wage in the Anchorage, AK area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $9,630 to $14,445 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for an administrative assistant in Anchorage look like?

Employers in the Anchorage, AK area pay secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive a median of $48,150, with the middle half of the market between $39,510 and $56,300 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $39,510 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Anchorage residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the Anchorage, AK area pay?

Anchorage residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $46,310 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $52,150 as the median of the 39 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Anchorage, AK area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 11%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Anchorage?

This is a job zone 2 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 37.7% of Anchorage adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).

Related

• Hiring Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Anchorage
• Every Alaska city we cover

Anchorage is the largest of 1 Alaska cities in this dataset.