Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Ponce, PR make a median of $26,000 a year, or about $12.5 an hour. The range runs from $22K at the entry level to $27K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100), that's roughly $26,000 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $538/month, or 29.1% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $26K get you in Ponce?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Ponce’s Regional Price Parity (100). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Ponce
Pay for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in Ponce runs about 53% below the U.S. median of $56K. Rent runs $538/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 28.2% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 100) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. 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 Ponce, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas | $36K | $36K |
| Mayaguez | $22K | $22K |
| Arecibo | $22K | $22K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Ponce, PR
Entry-level legal secretaries and administrative assistants (10th percentile) start around $22K. Mid-career wages sit at $26K. Top earners bring in $27K or more, a $5K 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 quarterly. We'll email you when Ponce numbers change.
Related careers in Office & Admin
Frequently asked questions
Can a legal secretaries and administrative assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Ponce?
Yes — at the median salary of $26K, rent takes 28.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $538/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in Ponce?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new legal secretaries and administrative assistants typically earn — is $22K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,310/month. At HUD’s $538/month FMR, rent would take 41% 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 Ponce?
Local pay runs 53% below the national median — $26K here vs. $56K nationally.
How does Ponce compare to the national average for legal secretaries and administrative assistants?
Ponce pays $26K median vs. the U.S. average of $56K — that’s -53%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100), the purchasing-power equivalent is $26K — below the national median.
How much do legal secretaries and administrative assistants make in Ponce, PR?
The median is $26,000 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $21,840, and experienced legal secretaries and administrative assistants can clear $27,080. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $26K enough to live in Ponce?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,909/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $538/month, which eats 28.2% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a legal secretaries and administrative assistants salary go in Ponce?
Ponce has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median legal secretaries and administrative assistants salary is worth about $26,000 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.