Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in North Carolina make a median of $43,720 a year, or about $21.02 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $72K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 92.66), which stretches that salary to about $47,183 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,284/month, about 42.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across North Carolina. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $44K get you in North Carolina?
About legal secretaries and administrative assistants
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What this looks like in North Carolina
Pay for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in North Carolina runs about 21% below the U.S. median of $56K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,284/month, which is 43.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 92.66 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 7% 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.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, North Carolina
Entry-level legal secretaries and administrative assistants (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $44K. Top earners bring in $72K or more, a $40K spread from bottom to top.
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salary by metro in North Carolina
12 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham-Chapel Hill | $47K | +9% | 230 |
| Raleigh-Cary | $47K | +8% | 780 |
| Winston-Salem | $46K | +5% | 160 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $46K | +4% | 1,020 |
| Asheville | $44K | +1% | N/A |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton | $40K | -9% | 40 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines | $39K | -10% | 40 |
| Burlington | $38K | -14% | 30 |
| Greensboro-High Point | $37K | -15% | N/A |
| Fayetteville | $36K | -17% | 40 |
| Jacksonville | $36K | -18% | 60 |
| Greenville | $35K | -21% | 70 |
Showing 1–10 of 12 metros
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when North Carolina numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a legal secretaries and administrative assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in North Carolina?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $44K, rent takes 43.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,284/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 North Carolina?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new legal secretaries and administrative assistants typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,871/month. At HUD’s $1,284/month FMR, rent would take 69% 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 North Carolina?
Local pay runs 21% below the national median — $44K here vs. $56K nationally. Cost of living is 7% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does North Carolina compare to the national average for legal secretaries and administrative assistants?
North Carolina pays $44K median vs. the U.S. average of $56K — that’s -21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 92.66), the purchasing-power equivalent is $47K — below the national median.
How much do legal secretaries and administrative assistants make in North Carolina?
The median is $43,720 a year, that works out to about $21 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,190, and experienced legal secretaries and administrative assistants can clear $71,640. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $44K enough to live in North Carolina?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,933/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,284/month, which eats 43.8% 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 North Carolina?
North Carolina has a Regional Price Parity of 92.66 (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 $47,183 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.