Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants pay range in Durham
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $37,320 a year or less, while the top 10% make $75,100 or more. The middle half of legal secretaries and administrative assistants in Durham earn between $38,250 and $60,920.
- $37K10th
- $38K25th
- $47KMedian
- $61K75th
- $75K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $51,150 | $4,262 | $24.59 |
| Median | $47,490 | $3,958 | $22.83 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $38,250 | $3,188 | $18.39 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $60,920 | $5,077 | $29.29 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salary after taxes in Durham
On the average salary of $51,150, a single filer in Durham takes home about $41,747 a year, or $3,479 a month and $1,606 every two weeks. Taxes take 18% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
Is Durham a good place for legal secretaries and administrative assistants? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Durham area are 2% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 97.6), so the average $51,150 buys what about $52,423 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Durham ($60,720). A typical home costs $414,340, or 8.1 years of this average salary before tax.
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salary in other North Carolina cities
Durham ranks 3rd of 12 North Carolina metro areas for this job; Charlotte pays the most ($51,650).
- Charlotte$51,650
- Raleigh$51,250
- Durham$51,150
- Winston-Salem$48,780
- Greensboro$44,700
- Hickory$44,520
- Asheville$44,330
- Burlington$42,780
- Pinehurst$40,400
- Fayetteville$39,520
All Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salaries in North Carolina
Highest-paying cities for legal secretaries and administrative assistants
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($90,530).
- San Jose, CA$90,530
- San Francisco, CA$89,030
- Washington, DC$86,320
- New York, NY$78,290
- Los Angeles, CA$76,580
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salary by city
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Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salary in Durham: questions
How much do legal secretaries and administrative assistants make an hour in Durham?
$24.59 an hour on average, and $22.83 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level legal secretaries and administrative assistants salary in Durham?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $37,320 a year and the 25th percentile is $38,250, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the legal secretaries and administrative assistants take-home pay in Durham?
About $41,747 a year ($3,479 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $51,150.
Do legal secretaries and administrative assistants earn more in Durham than elsewhere?
The average here is 18% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($62,535).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 43-6012; area Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (20500). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 4.7%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.67, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.67).
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