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Legal Secretary Average Salary in United States 2024

How much money does a person working as Legal Secretary make in United States?


Average Yearly Salary
52,200 USD
( 4,350 USD monthly)

LOW
28,200
USD
AVERAGE
52,200
USD
HIGH
78,800
USD
All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

A person working as Legal Secretary in United States typically earns around 52,200 USD. Salaries range from 28,200 USD (lowest) to 78,800 USD (highest).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Legal Secretary salaries in United States vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.



Legal Secretary Pay Scale and Salaries in United States

Median and salary distribution United States Legal Secretary yearly
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Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

5% of people earn
46,500 USD or more
10% of people earn
41,700 to 46,500 USD
20% of people earn
31,000 USD or less
65% of people earn
31,000 to 41,700 USD
Minimum Salary
28,200 USD
Median
46,700 USD
Maximum
78,800 USD




Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range

All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
  • Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary

    Salaries for the position Legal Secretary in United States range from 28,200 USD (starting salary) to 78,800 USD (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.

  • Median Salary

    With a median salary of 46,700 USD, half of the professionals who work as Legal Secretary in United States earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.

  • Percentiles and Salary Scale

    The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Legal Secretary in United States earn less than 39,100 USD, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 52,700 USD while 25% earn more.

  • Pay Scale Structure

    To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Legal Secretary in United States compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 31,000 USD to 41,700 USD. About 20% of salaries are below the 31,000 USD mark, while 10% fall within the range of 41,700 USD to 46,500 USD. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 46,500 USD.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Legal Secretary / United States

How do experience and age affect pay?

0 - 2 Years
32,800 USD
2 - 5 Years+26%
41,400 USD
5 - 10 Years+32%
54,500 USD
10 - 15 Years+18%
64,200 USD
15 - 20 Years+11%
71,000 USD
20+ Years+6%
75,600 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience yearly United States Legal Secretary
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The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Legal Secretary and this is what we found.


All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.

Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 32,800 USD.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 41,400 USD, 26% more than someone with less than two year's experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 54,500 USD, 32% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 64,200 USD, 18% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 71,000 USD, 11% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 75,600 USD, 6% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

On average, a person's salary doubles their starting salary by the time they cross the 10 years* experience mark.
* Based on the average change in salary over time. Salary variations differ from person to person.

Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Experience Level
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Salary Comparison By Education / Legal Secretary / United States

How do education levels affect salaries?

Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Legal Secretary.

High School
41,400 USD
Certificate or Diploma+37%
56,600 USD
Bachelor's Degree+29%
72,800 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level yearly United States Legal Secretary
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We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Legal Secretary in order to make a comparison.


Level 1: High School

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 41,400 USD.


Level 2: Certificate or Diploma

At this level, the average salary becomes 56,600 USD, 37% more than the previous level.


Level 3: Bachelor's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 72,800 USD, 29% more than the previous level.



Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Legal Secretary / United States

Salary comparison by gender United States Legal Secretary yearly
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Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Legal Secretary in United States, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 5%.

Male
50,900 USD
Female+5%
53,400 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Comparison By Gender in United States for all Careers

Salary comparison by gender yearly United States
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Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Legal Secretary / United States

How much are annual salary increments in United States for individuals working as Legal Secretary? How often do employees get salary raises?

Individuals working as Legal Secretary in United States are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 9% every 18 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.

Annual Salary Increment Rate United States Legal Secretary
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The figures provided here are averages of numbers. Those figures should be taken as general guidelines. Salary increments will vary from person to person and depend on many factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be granted a raise.

United States / All Professions

Annual Salary Increment Rate United States
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The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency

The average salary increase in one year (12 months) in United States is 6%.

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

World Average Annual Salary Increment
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Salary Packages and Schemes

Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.



Bonus and Incentive Rates / Legal Secretary / United States

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?Annual Salary Bonus Rate United States Legal Secretary
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74% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 26% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 1% to 2% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
26%
No Bonus
74%

Types of Bonuses Considered

Individual Performance-Based Bonuses

The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Company Performance Bonuses

Occasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.

Goal-Based Bonuses

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

Holiday / End of Year Bonuses

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.


What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

The main two types of jobs

Revenue GeneratorsSupporting Cast

Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business.

Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations.

Example:
A graphics designer working for a graphics designing company.

Example:
A graphic designer in the marketing department of a hospital.


Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.

Try to work for companies where your skills can generate revenue. We can't all generate revenue and that's perfectly fine.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.

Average Hourly Wage / Legal Secretary / United States


25 USD per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Legal Secretary in United States is 25 USD.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.


Hourly Wage = Annual Salary / ( 52 x 5 x 8 )

About The Hourly Pay Rate

The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.

What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?

The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Legal Secretary in United States is 14 USD. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.

Salary comparison with similar jobs

Job TitleAverage Salary
Administration / Reception / Secretarial-100%
Accreditation Specialist113,000 USD+120%
Admin Clerk31,500 USD-40%
Admin Executive52,900 USD+1%
Administrative Aide39,800 USD-24%
Administrative Analyst69,500 USD+33%
Administrative Assistant51,800 USD-1%
Administrative Associate48,900 USD-6%
Administrative Coordinator48,900 USD-6%
Administrative Manager73,000 USD+40%
Administrative Officer49,600 USD-5%
Administrative Receptionist48,200 USD-8%
Administrative Secretary42,200 USD-19%
Administrative Specialist48,600 USD-7%
Administrative Support42,400 USD-19%
Administrative Technician39,600 USD-24%
Board Secretary43,100 USD-17%
Branch Office Administrator80,200 USD+54%
Business Administrator74,600 USD+43%
Business Office Manager123,000 USD+140%
Central Office Operator47,700 USD-9%
Clerical Assistant29,900 USD-43%
Clerk32,600 USD-38%
Commercial Administrator67,000 USD+28%
Commissions Processor59,900 USD+15%
Conveyancing Secretary44,300 USD-15%
Corporate Receptionist50,100 USD-4%
Creditors Clerk48,400 USD-7%
Data Entry Clerk33,300 USD-36%
Data Entry Specialist47,200 USD-10%
Document Controller42,100 USD-19%
Document Management Specialist58,900 USD+13%
Executive Administrative Assistant55,700 USD+7%
Executive Assistant56,400 USD+8%
Executive Officer63,900 USD+22%
Executive Personal Assistant64,000 USD+23%
Executive Secretary52,200 USD-0%
File Clerk33,600 USD-36%
Front Desk Attendant46,600 USD-11%
Front Desk Coordinator54,800 USD+5%
Front Desk Manager75,800 USD+45%
Front Desk Receptionist46,500 USD-11%
Front Desk Shift Leader59,400 USD+14%
Front Office Assistant41,800 USD-20%
Front Office Executive58,200 USD+11%
Group Services Manager136,000 USD+160%
Head Receptionist57,200 USD+10%
Inquiry and Admissions Clerk33,800 USD-35%
Key Account Assistant56,400 USD+8%
Keyboard and Data Entry Operator30,400 USD-42%
Leasing Administrator61,300 USD+17%
Legal Secretary52,200 USD-0%
Librarian57,500 USD+10%
Mail Processing Clerk28,100 USD-46%
Mail Sorting Clerk28,000 USD-46%
Mailroom Clerk28,900 USD-45%
Mailroom Manager53,400 USD+2%
Management Support Secretary47,200 USD-10%
Master Programme Coordinator89,600 USD+72%
Medical Receptionist53,200 USD+2%
Meeting and Event Assistant55,700 USD+7%
Meeting and Event Manager125,000 USD+140%
Night Manager68,500 USD+31%
Office Administrator72,200 USD+38%
Office Assistant32,600 USD-38%
Office Automation Clerk59,400 USD+14%
Office Clerk38,900 USD-25%
Office Coordinator46,800 USD-10%
Office Manager83,900 USD+61%
Office Services Coordinator62,900 USD+20%
Office Supervisor61,900 USD+19%
Operations Analyst97,700 USD+87%
Operations Clerk52,800 USD+1%
Operations Manager131,000 USD+150%
Personal Assistant50,600 USD-3%
Planning Assistant55,400 USD+6%
Process Expert75,600 USD+45%
Program Coordinator70,500 USD+35%
Programme Assistant60,800 USD+16%
Project Administrator82,300 USD+58%
Project Coordinator112,000 USD+110%
Query Administrator59,900 USD+15%
Reception Team Lead65,000 USD+24%
Receptionist45,700 USD-12%
Records Officer38,500 USD-26%
Registry Administrator52,400 USD+0%
Registry and Filing Clerk33,200 USD-36%
Rental Clerk34,800 USD-33%
Schedule Officer33,300 USD-36%
Scheduler34,700 USD-34%
School Secretary47,100 USD-10%
Secretary44,100 USD-16%
Service Reception Head56,200 USD+8%
Switchboard Operator40,100 USD-23%
Technical Program Manager116,000 USD+120%
Technical Project Manager112,000 USD+110%
Typist39,300 USD-25%
Unit Secretary42,300 USD-19%
Wayleave Officer33,500 USD-36%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Boston52,300 USD
Chicago58,900 USD
Houston59,600 USD
Las Vegas51,000 USD
Los Angeles60,800 USD
New York59,300 USD
San Francisco55,300 USD
San Jose54,900 USD

Salary Comparison By State

StateAverage Salary
Alabama53,400 USD
Alaska43,600 USD
Arizona53,700 USD
Arkansas51,400 USD
California54,900 USD
Colorado51,300 USD
Connecticut51,500 USD
Delaware44,800 USD
District of Columbia45,400 USD
Florida58,400 USD
Georgia53,700 USD
Hawaii47,500 USD
Idaho49,100 USD
Illinois54,300 USD
Indiana53,600 USD
Iowa51,300 USD
Kansas48,000 USD
Kentucky51,200 USD
Louisiana52,900 USD
Maine45,600 USD
Maryland53,300 USD
Massachusetts55,100 USD
Michigan53,600 USD
Minnesota52,400 USD
Mississippi51,000 USD
Missouri51,300 USD
Montana46,900 USD
Nebraska50,100 USD
Nevada47,900 USD
New Hampshire47,500 USD
New Jersey57,000 USD
New Mexico47,500 USD
New York57,300 USD
North Carolina52,200 USD
North Dakota44,100 USD
Ohio56,400 USD
Oklahoma48,000 USD
Oregon49,700 USD
Pennsylvania57,100 USD
Rhode Island43,800 USD
South Carolina50,800 USD
South Dakota46,900 USD
Tennessee51,100 USD
Texas56,400 USD
Utah49,500 USD
Vermont43,000 USD
Virginia54,000 USD
Washington55,300 USD
West Virginia46,000 USD
Wisconsin52,100 USD
Wyoming45,600 USD

Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison

Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in United States is 5% on average across all career fields.

Private Sector
92,800 USD
Public Sector+5%
97,500 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide

What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Legal Secretary in United States?

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 46,700 USD and 52,700 USD. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.

Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)

All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

Base / Basic Salary

The base salary for a careers like Legal Secretary in United States ranges from 28,200 USD to 39,100 USD. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.


What is the difference between the median and the average salary?

Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary


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