Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in the Grand Forks Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants pay in Grand Forks, ND-MN at a median of $53,880 per year ($25.90/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $55,570, the metro estimate is 3% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 50 legal secretaries and administrative assistants are employed across the Grand Forks MSA in SOC 43-6012.

The Grand Forks pay distribution spans from $38,490 at the 10th percentile to $62,390 at the 90th, a 1.6× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $46,080 and the 75th at $62,390, so half of Grand Forks-based legal secretaries and administrative assistants earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Grand Forks, ND-MN covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide ND estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.