Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in West Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,597
after federal, FICA and West Virginia tax
Tax takes
$8,363
17.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$42,994
West Virginia costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in West Virginia — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$46,960
Kept after tax
$38,597
Worth in national money
$42,994
State rank
36
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- West Virginia is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $46,960, ranking 36 of 50 states — about 15.49% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 473 occupations West Virginia reports figures for, this is number 271.
- West Virginia is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $46,960 the take-home is $38,597; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $42,994 would nationally. The average lands at $45,790, below the middle of the range.
- West Virginia ranks 36 of 50 for legal secretaries and administrative assistants, with a median of $46,960 — about 15.49% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- In West Virginia's occupational distribution, legal secretaries and administrative assistants sits at 271 of 473 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in West Virginia, on $46,960, is $38,597 — equivalent to $42,994 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $45,790 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
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Pay band: Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $27,990 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $46,960 |
| Top tenth earn over | $60,590 |
| This salary | $46,960 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in West Virginia | $38,597 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,912 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,921 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $45,322 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,324 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in West Virginia earn less than $46,960. The published range is $27,990 up to $60,590, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In West Virginia the take-home figure of $38,597, from $46,960, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 271 of 473 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of West Virginia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $42,994, the adjusted value of that $46,960 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 271 of 473 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for legal secretaries and administrative assistants in West Virginia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $27,990 to $60,590. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for West Virginia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $38,597 from $46,960. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 271 of 473 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for West Virginia, so $42,994 — the adjusted value of that $46,960 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 271 of 473 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $27,990 at the tenth percentile, $60,590 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. West Virginia is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $42,994 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and West Virginia's own levy, $38,597 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 50 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($27,990 to $60,590) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to West Virginia rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
West Virginia's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $42,994 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $38,597 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and West Virginia income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.