Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX make a median of $38,820 a year, or about $18.66 an hour. The range runs from $32K at the entry level to $63K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.97), which stretches that salary to about $45,155 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,047/month — about 37.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $39K get you in Brownsville-Harlingen?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Brownsville-Harlingen’s Regional Price Parity (85.97). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About legal secretaries and administrative assistants
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Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Entry-level legal secretaries and administrative assistants (10th percentile) start around $32K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $63K or more, a $31K spread from bottom to top.
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $101K | +87% | 2,040 |
| New York | $74K | +37% | 15,430 |
| Delaware | $64K | +18% | 970 |
| Maryland | $63K | +17% | 1,410 |
| Rhode Island | $62K | +14% | N/A |
| Connecticut | $61K | +13% | 1,140 |
| Massachusetts | $61K | +13% | 3,880 |
| California | $61K | +13% | 23,960 |
| Minnesota | $61K | +13% | 2,500 |
| New Jersey | $60K | +12% | 3,910 |
| Washington | $60K | +10% | 4,090 |
| Alaska | $60K | +10% | 560 |
| Illinois | $58K | +7% | 8,860 |
| Hawaii | $57K | +5% | 520 |
| Michigan | $56K | +3% | 3,070 |
| Oregon | $56K | +3% | 900 |
| Florida | $54K | -1% | 10,970 |
| North Dakota | $53K | -1% | 320 |
| Nevada | $52K | -5% | 1,450 |
| Virginia | $51K | -6% | 2,800 |
| Georgia | $51K | -6% | 1,990 |
| Maine | $50K | -8% | 610 |
| New Hampshire | $50K | -8% | 490 |
| Pennsylvania | $49K | -9% | 6,440 |
| Texas | $49K | -9% | 9,900 |
| Wisconsin | $49K | -10% | 1,160 |
| Arizona | $48K | -11% | 3,320 |
| New Mexico | $48K | -12% | 1,330 |
| Nebraska | $48K | -12% | 1,210 |
| Missouri | $48K | -12% | 2,320 |
| Oklahoma | $47K | -12% | 1,430 |
| Indiana | $47K | -13% | 2,400 |
| Vermont | $47K | -13% | 290 |
| West Virginia | $47K | -13% | 1,280 |
| Ohio | $47K | -14% | 5,170 |
| Alabama | $46K | -14% | 1,920 |
| Utah | $46K | -15% | 1,060 |
| South Dakota | $46K | -15% | 660 |
| Tennessee | $44K | -18% | 3,440 |
| Mississippi | $44K | -19% | 790 |
| North Carolina | $44K | -19% | 4,460 |
| Montana | $43K | -20% | 630 |
| Wyoming | $43K | -21% | 210 |
| Louisiana | $43K | -21% | 2,790 |
| Idaho | $42K | -23% | 550 |
| Kansas | $42K | -23% | 830 |
| South Carolina | $40K | -27% | 2,120 |
| Arkansas | $39K | -27% | 930 |
| Kentucky | $38K | -29% | 2,190 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track legal secretaries and administrative assistants salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
How much do legal secretaries and administrative assistants make in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
The median is $38,820 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,030, and experienced legal secretaries and administrative assistants can clear $63,150. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Brownsville-Harlingen?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,769/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,047/month, which eats 37.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a legal secretaries and administrative assistants salary go in Brownsville-Harlingen?
Brownsville-Harlingen has a Regional Price Parity of 85.97 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median legal secretaries and administrative assistants salary is worth about $45,155 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do legal secretaries and administrative assistants get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.