Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA make a median of $47,430 a year, or about $22.81 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $72K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.7), which stretches that salary to about $51,723 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,318/month, about 40.7% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $47K get you in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Des Moines-West Des Moines’s Regional Price Parity (91.7). 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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What this looks like in Des Moines-West Des Moines
Pay for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in Des Moines-West Des Moines runs about 15% below the U.S. median of $56K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,318/month, which is 41.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 91.7 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 8% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for legal secretaries and administrative assistantss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in metros near Des Moines-West Des Moines, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | $46K | $52K |
| Sioux City | $46K | $53K |
| Cedar Rapids | $45K | $51K |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls | $45K | $52K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Entry-level legal secretaries and administrative assistants (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $47K. Top earners bring in $72K or more, a $33K spread from bottom to top.
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $99K | +79% | 1,940 |
| New York | $72K | +30% | 9,800 |
| Connecticut | $66K | +19% | 1,090 |
| Delaware | $66K | +19% | 980 |
| Minnesota | $63K | +14% | 2,410 |
| New Jersey | $63K | +14% | 4,160 |
| Rhode Island | $63K | +13% | 390 |
| California | $63K | +13% | 27,470 |
| Massachusetts | $62K | +12% | 4,020 |
| Maryland | $61K | +11% | 1,670 |
| Alaska | $61K | +10% | 660 |
| Oregon | $60K | +7% | 1,590 |
| Colorado | $59K | +7% | 2,030 |
| Washington | $58K | +5% | 3,950 |
| New Mexico | $58K | +4% | 1,400 |
| Michigan | $57K | +2% | 3,580 |
| Nevada | $56K | +2% | 1,430 |
| Wisconsin | $55K | -0% | 1,210 |
| Virginia | $55K | -0% | 2,380 |
| Arizona | $55K | -1% | 2,600 |
| North Dakota | $54K | -4% | 360 |
| Utah | $53K | -5% | 940 |
| South Carolina | $53K | -5% | 2,280 |
| Illinois | $53K | -5% | 8,030 |
| New Hampshire | $52K | -7% | 300 |
| Pennsylvania | $51K | -7% | 6,230 |
| Ohio | $51K | -8% | 4,360 |
| Hawaii | $49K | -11% | 680 |
| Vermont | $49K | -12% | N/A |
| Florida | $49K | -13% | 10,920 |
| Georgia | $48K | -13% | 3,260 |
| Louisiana | $48K | -14% | 2,460 |
| Maine | $48K | -14% | 860 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -14% | 560 |
| Indiana | $48K | -14% | 2,670 |
| Wyoming | $47K | -15% | 280 |
| West Virginia | $47K | -15% | 1,200 |
| Iowa | $47K | -16% | 1,120 |
| Oklahoma | $46K | -17% | 1,290 |
| Alabama | $46K | -17% | 1,840 |
| Texas | $46K | -17% | 13,380 |
| Nebraska | $46K | -18% | 1,310 |
| Tennessee | $45K | -18% | 2,980 |
| Mississippi | $45K | -19% | 820 |
| North Carolina | $44K | -21% | 3,780 |
| Idaho | $42K | -25% | 420 |
| Arkansas | $41K | -25% | 610 |
| Kentucky | $39K | -29% | 2,810 |
| Missouri | $39K | -31% | 3,310 |
| Kansas | $37K | -34% | 1,600 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 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
Can a legal secretaries and administrative assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $47K, rent takes 41.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,318/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new legal secretaries and administrative assistants typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,311/month. At HUD’s $1,318/month FMR, rent would take 57% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is legal secretaries and administrative assistant a high-paying job in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $47K here vs. $56K nationally. Cost of living is 8% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Des Moines-West Des Moines compare to the national average for legal secretaries and administrative assistants?
Des Moines-West Des Moines pays $47K median vs. the U.S. average of $56K — that’s -15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.7), the purchasing-power equivalent is $52K — below the national median.
How much do legal secretaries and administrative assistants make in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?
The median is $47,430 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,510, and experienced legal secretaries and administrative assistants can clear $71,910. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $47K enough to live in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,156/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,318/month, which eats 41.8% 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines?
Des Moines-West Des Moines has a Regional Price Parity of 91.7 (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 $51,723 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.