Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019
43-6012 Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Perform secretarial duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. Prepare legal papers and correspondence, such as summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas. May also assist with legal research.
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 168,140 |
1.7 % |
$24.47 |
$50,900 |
0.6 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$13.83 |
$17.20 |
$22.74 |
$30.52 |
$38.27 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$28,760 |
$35,780 |
$47,300 |
$63,480 |
$79,610 |
Industry profile for this occupation:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Legal Services |
139,900 |
12.21 |
$24.57 |
$51,090 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
9,940 |
0.18 |
$23.11 |
$48,070 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
8,450 |
0.39 |
$22.68 |
$47,170 |
| Insurance Carriers |
1,440 |
0.12 |
$26.52 |
$55,160 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
1,200 |
0.05 |
$28.47 |
$59,210 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Legal Services |
139,900 |
12.21 |
$24.57 |
$51,090 |
| Other Investment Pools and Funds |
220 |
2.26 |
$18.96 |
$39,440 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
8,450 |
0.39 |
$22.68 |
$47,170 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
9,940 |
0.18 |
$23.11 |
$48,070 |
| Insurance Carriers |
1,440 |
0.12 |
$26.52 |
$55,160 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
26,710 |
1.54 |
1.34 |
$27.58 |
$57,370 |
| New York |
12,320 |
1.29 |
1.13 |
$26.92 |
$56,000 |
| Texas |
12,070 |
0.97 |
0.85 |
$22.37 |
$46,530 |
| Florida |
9,760 |
1.11 |
0.97 |
$22.49 |
$46,780 |
| New Jersey |
8,620 |
2.11 |
1.84 |
$25.28 |
$52,590 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
2,990 |
4.14 |
3.62 |
$41.74 |
$86,820 |
| Delaware |
1,090 |
2.41 |
2.11 |
$24.41 |
$50,760 |
| Rhode Island |
1,070 |
2.21 |
1.93 |
$24.33 |
$50,600 |
| New Jersey |
8,620 |
2.11 |
1.84 |
$25.28 |
$52,590 |
| West Virginia |
1,480 |
2.10 |
1.84 |
$19.26 |
$40,060 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
2,990 |
4.14 |
3.62 |
$41.74 |
$86,820 |
| Massachusetts |
4,240 |
1.17 |
1.02 |
$30.46 |
$63,360 |
| California |
26,710 |
1.54 |
1.34 |
$27.58 |
$57,370 |
| Connecticut |
1,620 |
0.97 |
0.85 |
$27.24 |
$56,660 |
| New York |
12,320 |
1.29 |
1.13 |
$26.92 |
$56,000 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
15,910 |
1.65 |
1.44 |
$27.51 |
$57,220 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
12,220 |
1.96 |
1.71 |
$27.04 |
$56,250 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
6,440 |
1.38 |
1.20 |
$26.46 |
$55,030 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
5,550 |
1.93 |
1.69 |
$28.00 |
$58,240 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
4,790 |
1.51 |
1.32 |
$35.73 |
$74,320 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
4,750 |
1.80 |
1.57 |
$23.59 |
$49,060 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
3,720 |
1.02 |
0.89 |
$26.01 |
$54,100 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
3,610 |
1.46 |
1.28 |
$33.65 |
$69,990 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
3,580 |
1.28 |
1.12 |
$31.85 |
$66,240 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
3,210 |
2.15 |
1.88 |
$26.06 |
$54,200 |
United States Department of Labor
