Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Reno, NV make a median of $71,130 a year, or about $34.2 an hour. The range runs from $47K at the entry level to $97K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 101.01), that's roughly $70,419 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,870/month, about 37.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $71K get you in Reno?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Reno’s Regional Price Parity (101.01). 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 Reno
Reno sits well above the national pay line for legal secretaries and administrative assistants, local pay runs about 28% 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 $1,870/month, which is 38.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 101.01) 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.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in metros near Reno, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas | $53K | $53K |
| Carson City | $68K | $69K |
| Coeur d'Alene | $46K | $47K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $63K | $55K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Reno, NV
Entry-level legal secretaries and administrative assistants (10th percentile) start around $47K. Mid-career wages sit at $71K. Top earners bring in $97K or more, a $49K 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
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Reno numbers change.
Related careers in Office & Admin
Frequently asked questions
Can a legal secretaries and administrative assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Reno?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $71K, rent takes 38.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,870/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/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 Reno?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new legal secretaries and administrative assistants typically earn — is $47K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,828/month. At HUD’s $1,870/month FMR, rent would take 66% 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 Reno?
Local pay is 28% above the national median — $71K here vs. $56K nationally.
How does Reno compare to the national average for legal secretaries and administrative assistants?
Reno pays $71K median vs. the U.S. average of $56K — that’s +28%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 101.01), the purchasing-power equivalent is $70K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do legal secretaries and administrative assistants make in Reno, NV?
The median is $71,130 a year, that works out to about $34 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,130, and experienced legal secretaries and administrative assistants can clear $96,540. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $71K enough to live in Reno?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,869/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,870/month, which eats 38.4% 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 Reno?
Reno has a Regional Price Parity of 101.01 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median legal secretaries and administrative assistants salary is worth about $70,419 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.