Entry Level Legal Assistant Salary in the United States
How much does an Entry Level Legal Assistant make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for an Entry Level Legal Assistant in the United States is $66,856 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $32.
However, an Entry Level Legal Assistant's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $79,130
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $59,596 to $73,281
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $52,986
10%$52,986
50% (Median)$66,856
90%$79,130
Entry Level Legal Assistant Salaries by Percentile
Key Factors That Influence Entry Level Legal Assistant Salaries
An Entry Level Legal Assistant's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Entry Level Legal Assistant Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of an Entry Level Legal Assistant's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
How Do Entry Level Legal Assistant Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Entry Level Legal Assistants. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Top Paying Cities for Entry Level Legal Assistants
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $84,326
San Francisco: $83,402
Oakland: $81,645
San Jose, CA$84,326
San Francisco, CA$83,402
Oakland, CA$81,645
New York, NY$76,978
Paramus, NJ$76,042
Queens Village, NY$76,038
Passaic, NJ$75,975
Bergenfield, NJ$75,969
Stamford, CT$75,822
Huntington, NY$75,794
Newark, NJ$75,300
Bridgeport, CT$75,159
Vallejo, CA$75,026
New Brunswick, NJ$74,999
Petaluma, CA$74,959
Middlesex, NJ$74,832
Somerset, NJ$74,785
Santa Cruz, CA$74,698
Boston, MA$74,291
Monterey, CA$74,056
Seattle, WA$73,903
Santa Rosa, CA$73,889
Los Angeles, CA$73,869
Juneau, AK$73,696
Washington, DC$73,622
Orange, CA$73,384
Santa Ana, CA$73,208
Long Beach, CA$73,141
Anaheim, CA$73,127
Anchorage, AK$73,094
Santa Maria, CA$72,893
Everett, WA$72,880
Danbury, CT$72,645
Bremerton, WA$72,552
Tacoma, WA$72,312
New Suffolk, NY$72,310
Sacramento, CA$72,292
Santa Barbara, CA$72,218
Trenton, NJ$72,145
San Diego, CA$72,145
Brockton, MA$72,071
Fairbanks, AK$71,907
Lompoc, CA$71,737
Lowell, MA$71,683
Ventura, CA$71,670
Nashua, NH$71,656
Stockton, CA$71,650
Modesto, CA$71,162
Poughkeepsie, NY$71,015
Olympia, WA$70,888
Kennewick, WA$70,888
New Haven, CT$70,861
Lawrence, MA$70,620
Hartford, CT$70,553
Riverside, CA$70,540
New Bedford, MA$70,473
Richland, WA$70,473
Bakersfield, CA$70,380
San Bernardino, CA$70,353
New Britain, CT$70,346
Atlantic City, NJ$70,346
New London, CT$70,319
Norwich, CT$70,299
Portsmouth, NH$70,286
Boulder, CO$70,144
Portland, OR$70,052
Worcester, MA$70,045
Minneapolis, MN$69,838
Philadelphia, PA$69,744
Honolulu, HI$69,524
Saint Paul, MN$69,492
Vineland, NJ$69,477
Providence, RI$69,283
Chicago, IL$69,089
Bellingham, WA$69,009
Springfield, MA$68,955
Baltimore, MD$68,935
Chico, CA$68,768
Pittsfield, MA$68,588
Manchester, NH$68,461
Spokane, WA$68,167
Denver, CO$68,160
Albany, NY$67,846
Troy, NY$67,819
Nassau, NY$67,747
Schenectady, NY$67,679
Wilmington, DE$67,625
Burlington, VT$67,531
Salem, OR$67,505
Portland, ME$67,297
Yakima, WA$67,231
Rochester, MN$67,023
Reno, NV$66,990
Fresno, CA$66,990
Milwaukee, WI$66,930
Detroit, MI$66,863
Ann Arbor, MI$66,852
Allentown, PA$66,843
Colorado Springs, CO$66,729
Syracuse, NY$66,696
Carson City, NV$66,696
Houston, TX$66,602
Eugene, OR$66,569
Gary, IN$66,488
Springfield, OR$66,435
Bismarck, ND$66,422
Galveston, TX$66,375
Medford, OR$66,275
Fort Collins, CO$66,248
Concord, NH$66,214
Austin, TX$66,194
Mesa, AZ$66,054
Reading, PA$66,047
Phoenix, AZ$66,041
Dallas, TX$66,020
Saint Cloud, MN$65,956
Madison, WI$65,867
Utica, NY$65,686
Rochester, NY$65,579
Des Moines, IA$65,573
Raleigh, NC$65,566
Atlanta, GA$65,466
Battle Creek, MI$65,446
Salt Lake City, UT$65,425
Lancaster, PA$65,325
Harrisburg, PA$65,232
Kansas City, MO$65,165
Champaign, IL$65,151
Kansas City, KS$65,151
Fort Worth, TX$65,145
Columbus, OH$65,133
Boca Raton, FL$65,118
Pittsburgh, PA$65,091
Richmond, VA$65,064
Indianapolis, IN$65,051
Cleveland, OH$65,044
Las Vegas, NV$64,964
Cincinnati, OH$64,964
Petersburg, VA$64,864
Huntsville, AL$64,764
Lansing, MI$64,719
Lebanon, PA$64,710
Pueblo, CO$64,703
Appleton, WI$64,683
Buffalo, NY$64,657
Dayton, OH$64,637
Racine, WI$64,623
Charlotte, NC$64,617
Saint Louis, MO$64,596
York, PA$64,556
Elkhart, IN$64,556
Gastonia, NC$64,544
Billings, MT$64,528
Beaumont, TX$64,510
Lorain, OH$64,496
Benton Harbor, MI$64,483
Toledo, OH$64,469
Binghamton, NY$64,436
Rock Hill, SC$64,429
Rockford, IL$64,396
Springfield, IL$64,369
Elyria, OH$64,362
Fargo, ND$64,362
Flagstaff, AZ$64,316
Fort Lauderdale, FL$64,276
Duluth, MN$64,235
Miami, FL$64,235
Cheyenne, WY$64,189
Grand Forks, ND$64,189
Bangor, ME$64,042
Cedar Rapids, IA$63,968
Durham, NC$63,940
Louisville, KY$63,935
Grand Rapids, MI$63,921
Hialeah, FL$63,915
Casper, WY$63,821
Scranton, PA$63,741
New Orleans, LA$63,721
Virginia Beach, VA$63,714
Akron, OH$63,681
Peoria, IL$63,594
Sarasota, FL$63,580
Nashville, TN$63,533
Omaha, NE$63,533
Green Bay, WI$63,533
Baton Rouge, LA$63,500
Charleston, SC$63,487
Jamestown, NY$63,453
Davenport, IA$63,453
Tucson, AZ$63,420
Saint Petersburg, FL$63,380
Tampa, FL$63,366
Evansville, IN$63,326
Port Arthur, TX$63,326
Bradenton, FL$63,299
Santa Fe, NM$63,179
Orlando, FL$63,059
Clearwater, FL$63,039
Canton, OH$62,898
La Crosse, WI$62,898
Albuquerque, NM$62,858
Newport News, VA$62,852
High Point, NC$62,831
Ogden, UT$62,805
Corpus Christi, TX$62,751
Norfolk, VA$62,711
Laramie, WY$62,711
Rock Island, IL$62,671
Saginaw, MI$62,658
Jacksonville, FL$62,651
Salisbury, NC$62,638
Boise, ID$62,624
Moline, IL$62,591
Fort Myers, FL$62,571
Memphis, TN$62,557
Tulsa, OK$62,524
Waterloo, IA$62,484
Spartanburg, SC$62,417
Lincoln, NE$62,384
Fort Wayne, IN$62,370
Provo, UT$62,363
Cedar Falls, IA$62,283
San Antonio, TX$62,256
Greensboro, NC$62,230
South Bend, IN$62,223
Savannah, GA$62,150
Muskegon, MI$62,123
Birmingham, AL$62,116
Winston Salem, NC$62,083
Lake Charles, LA$61,922
Anderson, IN$61,909
Lexington, KY$61,889
Augusta, GA$61,869
Greenville, SC$61,869
Lima, OH$61,815
Wichita, KS$61,809
Tuscaloosa, AL$61,809
Columbia, SC$61,748
Springfield, OH$61,735
Asheville, NC$61,628
Bloomington, IN$61,581
Knoxville, TN$61,341
Shreveport, LA$61,334
Wilmington, NC$61,247
Roanoke, VA$61,247
Topeka, KS$61,127
Frankfort, KY$61,119
Oklahoma City, OK$61,073
Chillicothe, OH$61,046
Longview, TX$61,040
Melbourne, FL$61,033
Sioux Falls, SD$60,926
Mobile, AL$60,919
Terre Haute, IN$60,893
Altoona, PA$60,853
Amarillo, TX$60,806
Killeen, TX$60,786
Fayetteville, AR$60,732
Chattanooga, TN$60,712
Sioux City, IA$60,652
Idaho Falls, ID$60,639
Lynchburg, VA$60,585
Gainesville, FL$60,498
Portsmouth, OH$60,465
Little Rock, AR$60,451
Lafayette, LA$60,425
Youngstown, OH$60,425
Daytona Beach, FL$60,385
Clarksville, TN$60,378
Pensacola, FL$60,371
Temple, TX$60,366
Hopkinsville, KY$60,171
Erie, PA$60,157
Florence, SC$60,130
Charleston, WV$60,023
Great Falls, MT$59,990
Macon, GA$59,896
Tallahassee, FL$59,890
Fayetteville, NC$59,876
Waco, TX$59,863
Helena, MT$59,816
Pine Bluff, AR$59,791
Vincennes, IN$59,709
Lubbock, TX$59,683
Alamogordo, NM$59,642
Twin Falls, ID$59,582
Rapid City, SD$59,562
Jackson, MS$59,442
Huntington, WV$59,437
Greenville, MS$59,435
Parkersburg, WV$59,367
Montgomery, AL$59,355
Wichita Falls, TX$59,288
Springfield, MO$59,288
Biloxi, MS$59,255
Monroe, LA$59,188
Johnstown, PA$59,141
Sumter, SC$59,114
Columbus, GA$59,108
Pascagoula, MS$58,981
Abilene, TX$58,981
Kingsport, TN$58,807
Albany, GA$58,807
Gulfport, MS$58,787
Alexandria, LA$58,566
Fort Smith, AR$58,399
El Paso, TX$58,218
Las Cruces, NM$57,918
Harlingen, TX$57,748
Pocatello, ID$57,737
Florence, AL$57,650
Brownsville, TX$57,637
Mcallen, TX$57,496
Dothan, AL$57,403
Columbus, MS$57,006
Altus, OK$56,694
Lawton, OK$56,567
Pierre, SD$56,326
What Skills Can Increase an Entry Level Legal Assistant's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Scheduling (Mentioned in 3.97% Job Postings): Scheduling is the process of arranging, controlling and optimizing work and workloads in a production process or manufacturing process.
Microsoft Word (Mentioned in 2.28% Job Postings): Microsoft Word or MS Word is a popular word-processing program used mainly for creating documents, such as brochures, letters, learning activities, quizzes, tests, and students' homework assignments
Adobe (Mentioned in 1.13% Job Postings): A mixture of wet earth and grass made into bricks and dried in the sun, used to build houses. It originated from the oral form of Arabic al-tob, meaning "brick," It is the first materials used to create buildings in the 8th century B.C
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Entry Level Legal Assistant's salary.
Corporate Governance: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Intellectual Property: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
Entry Level Legal Assistant Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Entry Level Legal Assistant roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 45% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Aerospace & Defense
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average.
In contrast, Entry Level Legal Assistant positions in Hospitality & Leisure or MFG Nondurable typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Entry Level Legal Assistant as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for an Entry Level Legal Assistant
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Pharmaceuticals
$83,570
$40.0
25%
Aerospace & Defense
$80,227
$39.0
20%
Energy & Utilities
$76,885
$37.0
15%
Chemicals
$73,542
$35.0
10%
Internet
$73,542
$35.0
10%
How Education impacts an Entry Level Legal Assistant's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Entry Level Legal Assistants enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for an Entry Level Legal Assistant with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between
$63,649
and $68,114).
Entry Level Legal Assistant Salaries by Degree Level
Understanding how an Entry Level Legal Assistant's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$59,596
Average$66,856/year
$73,281
$4,966
Average$5,571/month
$6,107
$1,146
Average$1,286/week
$1,409
$29
Average$32/hour
$35
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$73,281
$6,107
$1,409
$35
Average
$66,856
$5,571
$1,286
$32
25th Percentile
$59,596
$4,966
$1,146
$29
Salaries of Jobs related to Entry Level Legal Assistant
Salaries for an Entry Level Legal Assistant can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $62,747 in 2023
to around $61,896 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Entry Level Legal Assistant salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Entry Level Legal Assistant Over Time
$???
$62,747
$62,548
$61,896
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$62,747
2024
$62,548
2025
$61,896
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Entry Level Legal Assistant
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Entry Level Legal Assistant
Here are companies hiring for Entry Level Legal Assistant and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
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FAQ about Entry Level Legal Assistant
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Entry Level Legal Assistant?
The Pharmaceuticals industry offers the highest average compensation for Entry Level Legal Assistant roles,
with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
