Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary: $80,395 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 154,540 legal secretaries and administrative assistants nationally earn a mean of $80,395. Employment in the series shown rose about 9% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.6% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants: what the data shows
Common questions about legal secretaries and administrative assistants careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a legal secretaries and administrative assistants?
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-6012.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 154,540 workers.
What does a legal secretaries and administrative assistants do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Performing Administrative Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a legal secretaries and administrative assistants make?
BLS national median annual wage: $54,140 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $80,395 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,424 |
| 25th percentile | $47,839 |
| Median (50th) | $62,641 |
| 75th percentile | $83,981 |
| 90th percentile | $108,416 |
What education do you need?
For Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Writing, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Time Management, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Administrative, Law and Government, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is legal secretaries and administrative assistants in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.6% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -7.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -14.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 154,540.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do legal secretaries and administrative assistantss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 154,540 | 19.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 133,990 | 16.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 125,840 | 15.8% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 125,840 | 15.8% |
| Legal Services | 124,650 | 15.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 20,550 | 2.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Paralegals | 367,220 | $61,010 |
| Lawyers | 747,750 | $151,160 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,737,820 | $46,290 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 12,680 | $75,890 |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 131,320 | $45,980 |
| Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | 16,230 | $115,230 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants workforce.
Employment Over Time
154,540 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 154,540 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 154,540 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.