Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

43-6012 Legal Secretaries

Perform secretarial duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. Prepare legal papers and correspondence, such as summonses, complaints, motions, and subpoenas. May also assist with legal research.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
220,680 1.4 % $21.30 $44,310 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.67 $15.86 $20.41 $26.13 $32.18
Annual Wage (2) $26,360 $33,000 $42,460 $54,350 $66,940


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Legal Services 191,400 17.15 $21.41 $44,540
Local Government (OES Designation) 11,380 0.21 $19.00 $39,520
State Government (OES Designation) 8,170 0.36 $19.59 $40,760
Insurance Carriers 2,190 0.19 $23.15 $48,160
Management of Companies and Enterprises 1,820 0.10 $25.46 $52,970

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Legal Services 191,400 17.15 $21.41 $44,540
Other Investment Pools and Funds 240 0.61 $20.61 $42,870
State Government (OES Designation) 8,170 0.36 $19.59 $40,760
Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) 60 0.25 $27.43 $57,040
Local Government (OES Designation) 11,380 0.21 $19.00 $39,520

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Natural Gas Distribution 40 0.04 $32.71 $68,030
Other Telecommunications 30 0.03 $30.04 $62,490
Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage 180 0.04 $28.11 $58,470
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 30 0.01 $27.69 $57,600
Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) 60 0.25 $27.43 $57,040


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 29,670 2.11 1.23 $24.66 $51,290
New York 19,830 2.35 1.37 $25.64 $53,330
Florida 14,240 1.99 1.16 $18.86 $39,230
Texas 12,890 1.25 0.73 $21.47 $44,670
Illinois 12,070 2.17 1.26 $21.26 $44,220




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 5,060 7.85 4.56 $31.32 $65,150
New Jersey 10,690 2.83 1.65 $22.16 $46,090
Delaware 1,020 2.52 1.47 $25.28 $52,590
West Virginia 1,730 2.48 1.44 $17.02 $35,410
Nevada 2,630 2.36 1.37 $21.04 $43,750




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 5,060 7.85 4.56 $31.32 $65,150
New York 19,830 2.35 1.37 $25.64 $53,330
Delaware 1,020 2.52 1.47 $25.28 $52,590
California 29,670 2.11 1.23 $24.66 $51,290
Colorado 3,030 1.39 0.81 $24.07 $50,070





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 14,220 2.81 1.63 $27.24 $56,650
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 9,630 2.52 1.46 $25.08 $52,160
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 9,210 2.57 1.49 $22.12 $46,010
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 6,660 2.88 1.68 $29.82 $62,030
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 5,690 3.14 1.82 $23.24 $48,330
Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division 4,150 4.37 2.54 $22.74 $47,300
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 3,730 2.23 1.29 $24.79 $51,560
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 3,630 1.42 0.83 $25.67 $53,400
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 3,590 1.75 1.02 $22.77 $47,350
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 3,580 2.09 1.22 $23.37 $48,600




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Charleston, WV 650 4.52 2.63 $19.56 $40,670
Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division 4,150 4.37 2.54 $22.74 $47,300
Albany, GA 210 3.63 2.11 $15.22 $31,660
Great Falls, MT 120 3.54 2.06 $17.18 $35,730
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 3,340 3.48 2.02 $32.61 $67,820
Wheeling, WV-OH 220 3.44 2.00 $17.39 $36,160
Rapid City, SD 200 3.44 2.00 $12.21 $25,390
Mobile, AL 550 3.26 1.90 $15.90 $33,060
Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division 1,620 3.25 1.89 $20.76 $43,190
Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL Metropolitan Division 3,130 3.20 1.86 $20.17 $41,940




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 3,340 3.48 2.02 $32.61 $67,820
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,730 1.97 1.15 $32.14 $66,860
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 6,660 2.88 1.68 $29.82 $62,030
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 14,220 2.81 1.63 $27.24 $56,650
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (8) (8) (8) $25.92 $53,900
Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO 2,170 1.80 1.05 $25.71 $53,480
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 3,630 1.42 0.83 $25.67 $53,400
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 220 1.66 0.97 $25.61 $53,280
Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division 990 3.10 1.80 $25.38 $52,790
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 9,630 2.52 1.46 $25.08 $52,160

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeastern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 430 2.69 1.56 $12.23 $25,430
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 420 2.56 1.49 $12.77 $26,560
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 390 3.39 1.97 $13.53 $28,150
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 390 1.03 0.60 $13.49 $28,050
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 380 2.58 1.50 $14.03 $29,180

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 390 3.39 1.97 $13.53 $28,150
Central South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 100 3.20 1.86 $14.81 $30,810
Southwestern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 80 3.07 1.78 $13.51 $28,090
Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 240 2.74 1.59 $12.75 $26,520
Southeastern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 430 2.69 1.56 $12.23 $25,430

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $22.18 $46,130
North Central Colorado nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $22.14 $46,050
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 140 0.95 0.55 $21.27 $44,240
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area 50 1.93 1.12 $21.24 $44,170
Other New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 190 1.95 1.13 $20.68 $43,020


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012