How much do paralegals make?

Paralegal salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Paralegals and Legal Assistants (SOC 23-2011) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Paralegals in the US earned a median of $62,890 a year ($30.24 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $50,340 to $80,080.

Median annual pay: $62,890; Mean $69,700
Median hourly pay: $30.24; Mean $33.51
Typical range (10th–90th): $44.7K–$102K; $44,740 to $101,500
US jobs: 392,880; −0.3% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a paralegal: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: District of Columbia

Paralegal pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$44,740
25th percentile$50,340
Median$62,890
75th percentile$80,080
90th percentile$101,500

Half of all paralegals earned more than $62,890 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $44,740; the top 10% made over $101,500. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $50,340 to $80,080.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$44,740	$21.51	$3,728
25th	$50,340	$24.20	$4,195
Median (50th)	$62,890	$30.24	$5,241
75th	$80,080	$38.50	$6,673
90th	$101,500	$48.80	$8,458
Mean (average)	$69,700	$33.51	$5,808

Paralegal salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for paralegals by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. District of Columbia $89,750
2. Washington $79,400
3. Colorado $78,190
4. Massachusetts $77,640
5. California $77,390

Lowest-paying states

51. Mississippi $46,180
50. Alabama $47,260
49. Arkansas $47,420
48. Wyoming $49,490
47. Idaho $49,690

Best after cost of living: District of Columbia. Its median of $89,750 is worth about $81,664 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$47,260	50	$53,207	49	$22.72	5,700	2.70
Alaska	$68,700	8	$67,117	11	$33.03	570	1.75
Arizona	$61,630	26	$61,216	35	$29.63	7,890	2.44
Arkansas	$47,420	49	$54,545	47	$22.80	1,610	1.23
California	$77,390	5	$69,897	7	$37.21	47,130	2.59
Colorado	$78,190	3	$75,874	3	$37.59	5,620	1.96
Connecticut	$63,820	14	$61,596	34	$30.68	5,210	3.07
Delaware	$63,110	19	$63,231	30	$30.34	2,480	5.12
District of Columbia	$89,750	1	$81,664	1	$43.15	6,400	9.12
Florida	$61,000	29	$58,986	43	$29.33	40,950	4.12
Georgia	$62,400	22	$64,802	20	$30.00	14,160	2.90
Hawaii	$62,840	20	$57,153	45	$30.21	1,170	1.86
Idaho	$49,690	47	$52,035	51	$23.89	2,030	2.36
Illinois	$63,670	15	$63,697	27	$30.61	14,130	2.32
Indiana	$57,030	41	$61,106	36	$27.42	5,910	1.84
Iowa	$54,550	44	$62,157	33	$26.23	2,980	1.91
Kansas	$55,000	43	$61,065	37	$26.44	2,210	1.54
Kentucky	$59,830	33	$66,361	13	$28.76	3,540	1.77
Louisiana	$60,250	31	$68,305	9	$28.97	4,890	2.52
Maine	$62,420	21	$64,317	23	$30.01	1,210	1.89
Maryland	$65,640	11	$62,539	31	$31.56	6,460	2.34
Massachusetts	$77,640	4	$73,414	5	$37.33	7,800	2.15
Michigan	$62,170	24	$64,614	22	$29.89	7,730	1.75
Minnesota	$75,570	6	$76,627	2	$36.33	7,400	2.51
Mississippi	$46,180	51	$53,109	50	$22.20	2,270	1.95
Missouri	$61,410	28	$67,619	10	$29.52	7,130	2.43
Montana	$57,290	40	$60,531	39	$27.54	1,010	1.98
Nebraska	$63,250	17	$70,197	6	$30.41	1,630	1.59
Nevada	$64,680	12	$64,694	21	$31.10	3,620	2.33
New Hampshire	$62,040	25	$59,559	41	$29.83	1,430	2.10
New Jersey	$71,500	7	$65,714	16	$34.38	12,010	2.80
New Mexico	$59,840	32	$64,894	19	$28.77	1,740	2.00
New York	$68,410	9	$63,389	28	$32.89	34,220	3.53
North Carolina	$57,500	39	$60,959	38	$27.64	13,650	2.76
North Dakota	$59,430	34	$66,806	12	$28.57	730	1.69
Ohio	$60,420	30	$65,126	17	$29.05	9,270	1.67
Oklahoma	$53,170	46	$60,528	40	$25.56	3,110	1.82
Oregon	$61,490	27	$59,491	42	$29.56	4,870	2.47
Pennsylvania	$63,370	16	$64,947	18	$30.47	14,670	2.42
Rhode Island	$56,250	42	$54,996	46	$27.04	2,070	4.13
South Carolina	$53,880	45	$57,473	44	$25.90	7,420	3.22
South Dakota	$58,320	38	$65,834	15	$28.04	600	1.30
Tennessee	$58,820	36	$64,025	25	$28.28	6,080	1.85
Texas	$62,310	23	$64,199	24	$29.96	29,540	2.10
Utah	$63,220	18	$63,946	26	$30.40	3,250	1.87
Vermont	$67,160	10	$68,560	8	$32.29	660	2.16
Virginia	$63,990	13	$63,291	29	$30.77	10,250	2.50
Washington	$79,400	2	$74,197	4	$38.17	9,460	2.66
West Virginia	$59,000	35	$65,924	14	$28.37	1,660	2.36
Wisconsin	$58,500	37	$62,171	32	$28.12	4,780	1.63
Wyoming	$49,490	48	$53,392	48	$23.80	600	2.13

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for paralegals

375 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$99,250	$89,882	2,030
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$92,900	$83,594	6,310
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$84,030	$72,682	7,630
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$81,590	$74,933	12,990
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$80,930	$74,386	360
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$80,500	$76,100	3,740
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$79,850	$73,754	6,300
Vallejo, CA	$79,280	$73,083	160
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$78,550	$73,638	2,590
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$78,160	$72,515	290

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	33,850	$75,330	$66,923
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	22,240	$77,520	$68,260
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	17,820	$62,090	$54,391
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	12,990	$81,590	$74,933
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	11,590	$70,550	$68,102
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	11,150	$70,430	$68,676
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	10,290	$64,080	$64,043
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	8,320	$63,220	$61,325
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	7,630	$84,030	$72,682
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	7,320	$62,730	$63,602

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves paralegal pay: employers and settings

Employer type makes a large difference in paralegal pay. Law firms, where most paralegals work, report a median of $61,770. Corporate headquarters (management of companies and enterprises) report $94,570 and insurance carriers $78,440. Among public employers, federal agencies stand out at $81,470. Local government reports $63,410 and state government $59,970.

Location adds a second layer. The District of Columbia has the highest median at $89,750, followed by Washington at $79,400, Colorado at $78,190, Massachusetts at $77,640, and California at $77,390. DC still ranks first after cost of living, at $81,664. The lowest medians are in Arkansas at $47,420, Alabama at $47,260, and Mississippi at $46,180.

The overall median is $62,890, with the 10th percentile at $44,740, and the 90th at $101,500, a wide spread. Employer and state, shown above, are the pay differences our data can measure. Percentiles rank pay across all paralegals; they do not show how pay changes with years of experience.

Where paralegals work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Legal Services	77.6%	$61,770
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	5%	$63,370
Federal Executive Branch	4.1%	$81,470
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	3.1%	$59,320
Management of Companies and Enterprises	1.8%	$94,570
Insurance Carriers	1.2%	$78,440

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	344,310	$62,440
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	16,020	$81,470
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	12,660	$59,970
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	19,900	$63,410

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Paralegal pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$62.9K $48.8K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $48,810 in 2015 to $62,890 in 2025, up 29% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $65,981 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 5% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What paralegals do

A paralegal, also called a legal assistant, does much of the preparation work behind a lawyer's cases and deals. Paralegals research statutes and case law, draft pleadings, motions, contracts and discovery requests for an attorney to review, organize exhibits and deposition transcripts, track filing deadlines, and keep in touch with clients, witnesses and court clerks. They do not give legal advice, set fees or represent clients before a court unless that court or agency allows it; a supervising lawyer is responsible for their work.

Most paralegals work in law firms: 77.6% of the jobs in our data are in legal services. Others work for local, state and federal agencies, corporate headquarters and insurance companies. The work is office-based and largely on a computer, with occasional trips to depositions or trials, and most paralegals work full time. Duties vary by practice area, such as litigation, real estate, immigration, bankruptcy or intellectual property, and by firm size: in a small firm one paralegal may handle a case from start to finish. Juggling several matters against court deadlines can make the job stressful.

A typical day

Draft first versions of complaints, motions, discovery requests and contracts for the attorney to review
Research statutes, regulations and court decisions and summarize what they say
Organize case files, exhibits and evidence in document management or e-discovery software
Calendar court dates and filing deadlines and e-file documents with the court
Interview clients and witnesses and prepare summaries and affidavits
Summarize deposition transcripts and medical or financial records
Assemble trial binders and help the legal team in the courtroom or at closings

Also called: legal assistant, paralegals, immigration paralegal, law associate, legal analyst, legal clerk, legal processing assistant, litigation paralegal.

How to become a paralegal

Full guide

To become a paralegal, most people earn an associate degree or a certificate in paralegal studies, or add a paralegal certificate to a bachelor's degree, then start work under a lawyer's supervision. There is no paralegal license; voluntary certification such as NALA's Certified Paralegal (CP) is optional.

Typical time: 2 years; Fastest: About 1 year
Minimum education: Associate degree or certificate in paralegal studies (some employers prefer a bachelor's degree)
License: Not licensed (certification optional); paralegals work under a supervising attorney
Typical training cost: $4.6K–$9.6K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a paralegal: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 2 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $4.6K–$9.6K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $62,890; $11,910 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 7–15%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($11,910 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (2 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for paralegals

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: −0.3%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 404,900; 403,800 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 40,800; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 2.1%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects paralegal and legal assistant employment to dip slightly, from 404,900 in 2025 to 403,800 in 2035, a 0.3% decline while all occupations grow 3.5%. The reason BLS gives is technology: legal research and document drafting are increasingly done with software, including artificial intelligence, so each paralegal can handle more work.

There will still be about 40,800 openings a year, most of them from paralegals who retire or move to other occupations. BLS expects law firms to remain the biggest employer, because lawyers still need someone to prepare and organize case documents.

Related careers and their pay

Court Reporter$72,420
Medical Billing and Coding Specialist$51,140
Lawyer$159,670
Private Investigator$51,220
Accountant$83,680
Claims Adjuster$78,000

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Paralegal salary FAQ

How much do paralegals make an hour?

The median hourly wage for paralegals was $30.24 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $21.51 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $48.80. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays paralegals the most?

District of Columbia has the highest median pay for paralegals, $89,750 a year, followed by Washington ($79,400) and Colorado ($78,190). After adjusting for each state's price level, District of Columbia comes out ahead at about $81,664 in national-average dollars.

Do paralegals make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 10% and 25% of paralegals earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $62,890, and the top 10% earn more than $101,500. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Has paralegal pay kept up with inflation?

No. The median rose from $48,810 in 2015 to $62,890 in 2025, but in 2025 dollars the 2015 median was worth $65,981. After inflation, the typical paralegal earns somewhat less than ten years earlier. That makes employer choice matter more: corporate legal departments and federal agencies report medians well above the law-firm figure in our data.

Do paralegals earn more at law firms or in corporate legal departments?

In our data, corporate employers pay more. The management of companies and enterprises category, which includes corporate headquarters, has a median of $94,570 against $61,770 in legal services, the category that covers law firms. Insurance carriers report $78,440. Corporate jobs are far fewer, though: about 6,970 paralegals work at company headquarters, compared with 304,820 in legal services.

Is paralegal a good job given AI?

It is changing, not disappearing. BLS projects a slight decline in jobs to 2035 because AI and other software speed up research and drafting, but it still expects about 40,800 openings a year. The tasks BLS names as most exposed are research and document preparation, so those are the parts of the job technology is expected to speed up most.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 23-2011
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (23-2011.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Paralegals and Legal Assistants, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
The Certified Paralegal Program Handbook (2026), NALA, The Paralegal Association · checked October 28, 2026
For 50 years, the ABA has approved and supported paralegal education programs, ABA Journal, American Bar Association · checked October 28, 2026
PACE: Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (brochure), National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) · checked October 28, 2026
Certification, NALA, The Paralegal Association · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
Advanced Certified Paralegals, NALA, The Paralegal Association · checked October 28, 2026
Paralegal Studies Certificate, San Francisco State University · checked October 28, 2026

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