Average Salary

• Executive administrators are listed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as general and operations managers, though they may also be called chief operating officer or president depending on the company. According to date from May 2009, the average salary for executive admins in the U.S. is $110,550, while the median salary is $92,650. Those administrators in the 25th percentile earn $63,750 on average per year, while those in the 75th percentile earn $138,960.
  
  

Industry

• According to the BLS as of May 2009, those executives in the industry of the management of companies and enterprises earn an average salary of $134,590 annually, while those in computer systems design earn much higher at $147,170. The highest wages for this occupation are in the field of financial investment activities at $173,120 a year, followed by the industry of securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage at $164,520 and securities and commodity exchanges at $163,060.
  
  

Location

• Cost of living plays a role in shaping the salary of an executive administrator. Those in the Newark metropolitan area of New Jersey have the highest salary in the country as of May 2009 at an average of $161,720, while the state itself has the highest wages of all states at $157,050, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Executive admins in New York, Washington, Delaware and Connecticut also earn higher-than-average wages ranging from $129,980 to $135,500.
  
  

Other Factors

• The BLS reports that larger companies may require executives to hold a Master of Business Administration, a factor that typically leads to higher wages. For some fields, such as colleges and school districts, a doctoral degree may be mandatory. Executive administrators' chances for advancement vary from organization to organization, but may include moving up to chief executive officer or director.