Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in New Jersey make a median of $63,080 a year, or about $30.33 an hour. The range runs from $42K at the entry level to $89K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.34), that's roughly $63,499 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,067/month, about 50.2% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across New Jersey. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $63K get you in New Jersey?
About legal secretaries and administrative assistants
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What this looks like in New Jersey
New Jersey sits well above the national pay line for legal secretaries and administrative assistants, local pay runs about 14% higher than the U.S. median of $56K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,067/month, which is 48.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 99.34) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, New Jersey
Entry-level legal secretaries and administrative assistants (10th percentile) start around $42K. Mid-career wages sit at $63K. Top earners bring in $89K or more, a $47K spread from bottom to top.
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salary by metro in New Jersey
3 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton-Princeton | $59K | -6% | 320 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton | $59K | -6% | 140 |
| Vineland | $51K | -18% | 40 |
Compare to other states
Track legal secretaries and administrative assistants salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when New Jersey numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a legal secretaries and administrative assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in New Jersey?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $63K, rent takes 48.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,067/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/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 New Jersey?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new legal secretaries and administrative assistants typically earn — is $42K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,514/month. At HUD’s $2,067/month FMR, rent would take 82% 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 New Jersey?
Local pay is 14% above the national median — $63K here vs. $56K nationally.
How does New Jersey compare to the national average for legal secretaries and administrative assistants?
New Jersey pays $63K median vs. the U.S. average of $56K — that’s +14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.34), the purchasing-power equivalent is $63K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do legal secretaries and administrative assistants make in New Jersey?
The median is $63,080 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $41,900, and experienced legal secretaries and administrative assistants can clear $89,010. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $63K enough to live in New Jersey?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,228/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,067/month, which eats 48.9% 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 New Jersey?
New Jersey has a Regional Price Parity of 99.34 (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 $63,499 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.