Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Florence, SC make a median of $46,120 a year, or about $22.17 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $57K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 86.77), which stretches that salary to about $53,152 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,098/month, about 34.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $46K actually covers in Florence, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Florence’s Regional Price Parity (86.77). 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 Florence
Pay for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in Florence runs about 17% below the U.S. median of $56K. Rent runs $1,098/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.9% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 86.77 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in metros near Florence, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia | $59K | $62K |
| Charleston-North Charleston | $51K | $50K |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | $48K | $52K |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal | $59K | $60K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Florence, SC
Entry-level legal secretaries and administrative assistants (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $46K. Top earners bring in $57K or more, a $20K 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 with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track legal secretaries and administrative assistants salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Florence numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a legal secretaries and administrative assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Florence?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $46K, rent takes 34.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,098/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 Florence?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new legal secretaries and administrative assistants typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,540/month. At HUD’s $1,098/month FMR, rent would take 43% 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 Florence?
Local pay runs 17% below the national median — $46K here vs. $56K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Florence compare to the national average for legal secretaries and administrative assistants?
Florence pays $46K median vs. the U.S. average of $56K — that’s -17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 86.77), the purchasing-power equivalent is $53K — below the national median.
How much do legal secretaries and administrative assistants make in Florence, SC?
The median is $46,120 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,260, and experienced legal secretaries and administrative assistants can clear $56,640. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $46K enough to live in Florence?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,148/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,098/month, which eats 34.9% 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 Florence?
Florence has a Regional Price Parity of 86.77 (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 $53,152 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.