Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in the St. Joseph Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants pay in St. Joseph, MO-KS at a median of $36,500 per year ($17.55/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 34% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 40 legal secretaries and administrative assistants are employed across the St. Joseph MSA in SOC 43-6012.

The St. Joseph pay distribution spans from $30,280 at the 10th percentile to $49,000 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 $35,950 and the 75th at $45,240, so half of St. Joseph-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 St. Joseph, MO-KS 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 MO estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.