Cost to Hire an Executive Assistant in Philadelphia
See the full cost beyond salary. Compare your options and build a better budget for your next hire.
BLS wage data · 2026 tax assumptions
What an employee really costs
Estimated first year · 1 full-time employee
- Base salaryBLS metro mean · May 2025
- $81,040
- Employer taxes2026 federal + Pennsylvania estimate
- $6,624
- BenefitsEditable budget assumption
- $12,000
- Recruiting & onboardingOne-time first-year assumption
- $4,000
Total employer cost
$8,639 / month, averaged over year one
Planning estimate, not a payroll quote. Add workers’ compensation and other overhead in your assumptions.
Compare hiring options
Annual budgets for one support position.
| Hiring option | Relative cost | Approx. annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| US employeeCalculated first-year estimate | $103,664 | |
| Staffing agencyEditable example budget | $105,000 | |
| FreelancerEditable example budget | $55,000 | |
| Stealth AgentsStealth Agents support plan | $19,200 |
Compare equivalent hours and responsibilities before deciding. Employment, agency and freelance arrangements differ in coverage, benefits and management. Examples are not guaranteed savings.
Your business. Your numbers.Customize your cost estimate
All amounts below are per employee or assistant. Taxes are calculated automatically; your team size multiplies the result. No email is needed to use the calculator.
BLS metro mean: $81,040. Enter your planned salary.
Example budget for health coverage and retirement; excludes payroll taxes.
One-time first-year budget. Do not count salary again.
Add workers’ comp, equipment, software and other overhead.
3.822% is the new non-construction employer rate. Use your assigned rate.
0.6% assumes the full state credit. Without the credit, use 6%.
Illustrative $105,000 budget; replace with an all-in quote.
Illustrative $55,000 budget; match hours and scope to your needs.
Stealth Agents price: $1,600 per assistant per month. Adjust for your quoted scope.
With the current inputs, recurring employee costs are $99,664 / year before future pay changes. The first-year total adds $4,000 in one-time hiring costs.
How to interpret this executive assistant benchmark
The starting wage covers Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants (SOC 43-6011). This is an occupational average across employers and experience levels, not an entry-level rate or a specific job offer.
| Wage geography | Annual salary benchmark |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro | $81,040 |
| United States | $79,140 |
The metro benchmark is $1,900 (2.4%) above the US benchmark. This compares wages for the same occupation and period; it is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a measure of total employer cost.
Philadelphia, PA is mapped through Philadelphia County to the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD labor market. Cities in this metro can share the same starting wage. Neither the benchmark nor the city selection establishes an individual employee’s work location or tax liability. View the national executive assistant calculator.
Does the salary benchmark include benefits and employer taxes?
No. The wage figure is only the salary input. Add employer payroll taxes, benefits, recruiting and overhead in the calculator. Keep one-time hiring expenses separate from recurring annual costs.
How should I compare an employee with outside support?
Use the same hours, tasks, experience requirements and service coverage for each quote. Include supervision and any work the provider excludes. A related support service does not necessarily replace every responsibility of a executive assistant.
Check the underlying BLS wage estimate · Read the calculation methodology
Where the numbers
come from
The salary is a published regional benchmark. Taxes follow the rules below. Benefits, hiring costs and provider budgets are editable planning assumptions.
Sources reviewed September 23, 2026. All amounts are USD. This estimate covers a full calendar year of Pennsylvania employment.
01 / Salary: $81,040 per year
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, published July 10, 2026. Annual mean for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants (SOC 43-6011) in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan area. This is metro-level data, not a city-only figure or a salary offer.
02 / Employer payroll taxes
IRS Publication 15 (2026): Social Security at 6.2% on wages up to $184,500; Medicare at 1.45% on all wages; FUTA defaults to 0.6% on the first $7,000, assuming the full state credit. Pennsylvania UC defaults to the 3.822% new non-construction employer rate on the first $10,000. Replace it with your assigned rate.
03 / Your business assumptions
The $12,000 benefits and $4,000 recruiting budgets are examples, not BLS averages. Agency and freelancer budgets are editable examples, not researched market rates. The Stealth Agents comparison uses $1,600 per month ($19,200 per year) per assistant. Compare equivalent hours and scope.
What is included—and what should I add?
First-year cost = salary + employer payroll taxes + benefits + recruiting/onboarding + other costs. Monthly figures divide that first-year total by 12. Recruiting is one-time; the recurring estimate excludes it. Add workers’ compensation, equipment, software, office space and any other overhead under “Other annual employer costs.” Paid time off is not added again on top of annual salary; add any extra coverage cost separately. Employee income-tax withholding is not an extra employer cost. The calculator is a budgeting aid, not payroll or tax advice.
Can a remote assistant replace an on-site hire?
It depends on the work. Inbox management, scheduling, research and follow-ups can often be handled remotely. An on-site employee may be needed for physical office duties. Compare responsibilities, hours, timezones, experience and management support alongside price.
Find the right support.
Get your actual cost.
Tell us what you need your executive assistant to handle. We’ll help you compare the right level of support and provide a personalized Stealth Agents quote.
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