Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants earn a median of $55,570 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 9% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $26.72/hr. The middle half earn between $44,450 and $71,970. The top 10% earn $91,730 or more.

The median hourly wage for legal secretaries and administrative assistants is $26.72 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $55,570 annual median works out to about $4,630 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of legal secretaries and administrative assistants earn less than $36,500 a year and the bottom quarter less than $44,450 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Rarely. Even the 90th percentile is $91,730, so fewer than 10% of legal secretaries and administrative assistants earn $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No state's median reaches $100,000; the highest is District of Columbia at $99,280.

The highest state medians for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants are District of Columbia ($99,280), New York ($72,230), Connecticut ($66,220) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

BLS does not split legal secretaries and administrative assistants' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $91,730, against a median of $55,570 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are District of Columbia ($99,280), New York ($72,230), Connecticut ($66,220).

No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 48.1% hold associate's degree or other 2-year degree.

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for legal secretaries and administrative assistants is a high school diploma or equivalent. Once hired, BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical. O*NET classes the work as needing medium preparation.

No. BLS projects employment to fall 5.2% over 2025–2035, a loss of 8,300 jobs (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 18,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Secretaries and administrative assistants do routine clerical and organizational tasks. A core O*NET task: mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Data base user interface and query software, Document management software.

Yes, for most. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 2% of legal secretaries and administrative assistants usually work more than 40 hours a week, 63% work exactly 40 and 35% work fewer. 100% say their schedule is regular and 0% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Social interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.