Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does an administrative assistant make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, administrative assistants earned a median of $57,510 a year ($27.65 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 960 of these jobs there. That is 5% above the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $38,610 and $79,490; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $46,899 in take-home pay.

Administrative assistant pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance

Median salary

$57,510$27.65 per hour · $4,793 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$38,610$18.56/hr
25th percentile$46,420$22.32/hr
75th percentile$68,410$32.89/hr
90th percentile$79,490$38.21/hr
Jobs in this metro960Location quotient 0.89 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here5% aboveAll-jobs median $54,730
Against California4% aboveStatewide median $55,400
Against the U.S.21% aboveNational median $47,540

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Administrative assistant salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes

$57,510
$20,000$120,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$57,510
Net 82%
Fed 8%
CA 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$46,899After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,908Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,804Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate18.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$4,721 / yr
California state income tax$1,490 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$4,400 / yr

Administrative assistants pay range in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What administrative assistants earned in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$18.56/hr$3,218$38,610$32,676
25th percentile$22.32/hr$3,868$46,420$38,639
MedianMedian$27.65/hr$4,793$57,510$46,899
75th percentile$32.89/hr$5,701$68,410$54,709
90th percentile$38.21/hr$6,624$79,490$61,604

Is $57,510 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for administrative assistants next to both.

Median household income$111,093Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)109.99.9% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household51.8%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Administrative assistant pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for administrative assistants in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for administrative assistants in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $57,510 in May 2025, about $4,793 a month or $27.65 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $55,400, so the metro pays 4% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for administrative assistants in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The median hourly wage for administrative assistants in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $27.65 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $18.56 an hour and one in ten earned more than $38.21.

How many administrative assistants work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS estimated 960 jobs for administrative assistants in the metro in May 2025, or 9.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.89 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for administrative assistants in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS wage estimates for administrative assistants in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $38,610 at the 10th percentile to $46,420 at the 25th, $68,410 at the 75th, and $79,490 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do administrative assistants take home after taxes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On a median gross salary of $57,510, an estimated $46,899 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,804 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $10,611 (an effective rate of 18.5%).

How much do administrative assistants make per month in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On the median annual salary of $57,510, gross monthly income is $4,793. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,908 per month (or $1,804 every two weeks).

Is $57,510 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

At $57,510, the median salary for administrative assistants is 51.8% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 5% above the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 109.9, so prices here run 9.9% above the U.S. average.