Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA make a median of $44,990 a year, or about $21.63 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $59K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.06), which stretches that salary to about $51,677 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,051/month, about 34.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $45K get you in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Waterloo-Cedar Falls’s Regional Price Parity (87.06). 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls
Pay for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in Waterloo-Cedar Falls runs about 19% below the U.S. median of $56K. Rent runs $1,051/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 35% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.06 (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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines-West Des Moines | $47K | $52K |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | $46K | $52K |
| Sioux City | $46K | $53K |
| Cedar Rapids | $45K | $51K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
Entry-level legal secretaries and administrative assistants (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $45K. Top earners bring in $59K or more, a $23K 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a legal secretaries and administrative assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $45K, rent takes 35% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,051/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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new legal secretaries and administrative assistants typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,205/month. At HUD’s $1,051/month FMR, rent would take 48% 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $45K here vs. $56K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Waterloo-Cedar Falls compare to the national average for legal secretaries and administrative assistants?
Waterloo-Cedar Falls pays $45K median vs. the U.S. average of $56K — that’s -19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.06), the purchasing-power equivalent is $52K — below the national median.
How much do legal secretaries and administrative assistants make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?
The median is $44,990 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,750, and experienced legal secretaries and administrative assistants can clear $59,420. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $45K enough to live in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,004/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,051/month, which eats 35% 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
Waterloo-Cedar Falls has a Regional Price Parity of 87.06 (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 $51,677 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.