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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:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 110 0.01 $47.97 $99,780
Other Information Services 50 0.02 $35.55 $73,930
Real Estate 190 0.01 $33.45 $69,590
Telecommunications 120 0.02 $32.54 $67,680
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (8) (8) $32.36 $67,310

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