Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants earn an average annual salary of $80,395, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 9.4% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.

Key Statistics

23,960
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$80,395
Average Salary

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants workforce.

Employment Over Time

23,960 Workforce in 2023

The Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$80,395 Average Wage

In 2023, Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants earned an average of $80,395.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Salary distribution for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Employment Growth Projections

-1.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

87,604 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -7.8%

80,801 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -14.9%

This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Wage Trends by Industry

13.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 23,120 employees, $80,424 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 9,030 employees, $84,202 avg wage
  • Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 2,840 employees, $86,207 avg wage
  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,690 employees, $67,186 avg wage
  • San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,940 employees, $95,825 avg wage
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,300 employees, $61,742 avg wage
  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,260 employees, $71,548 avg wage
  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 990 employees, $104,095 avg wage
  • Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 780 employees, $90,731 avg wage
  • Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 530 employees, $67,207 avg wage
  • Fresno MSA: 420 employees, $70,721 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Diversity

Demographic information on Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in 2023 was 23,960 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.

Common majors for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants workers.

Education level distribution for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Skills

Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants need many skills, but most especially Writing, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Time Management.

Required skills for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants include Administrative, Law and Government, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics.

Knowledge areas required for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants include Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Near Vision, Written Expression, Speech Recognition.

Required abilities for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

Daily Activities

Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants spend their time on activities such as Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Performing Administrative Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.

Most important work activities for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.

About

Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

The average yearly wage for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants was $80,395 in 2023.

SOC Code

43-6012 - Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants reports an average salary of $80,395.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 23,960 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.