Paralegal Salary: How Much Do Paralegals Make?
Median pay, percentiles and employment for paralegals and legal assistants — nationally, in all 50 states, and by metro.
Short answer: the median paralegal salary in the United States is $62,890 a year ($30.24 an hour). The middle of the market runs $50,340 to $80,080, and the 10th to 90th percentile spans $44,740 to $101,500. Location matters more than most people expect: the median is $89,750 in District of Columbia and $46,180 in Mississippi — a $43,570 gap for the same job. About 392,880 people work as paralegals nationally.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Public-domain federal data, surveyed from employers.
Paralegal salary by state
Annual wages for Paralegals and Legal Assistants (BLS occupation code 23-2011). Percentiles show the spread within each state.
| State | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $30,750 | $47,260 | $77,100 | 5,700 |
| Alaska | $53,830 | $68,700 | $99,320 | 570 |
| Arizona | $45,700 | $61,630 | $96,340 | 7,890 |
| Arkansas | $36,290 | $47,420 | $81,700 | 1,610 |
| California | $50,460 | $77,390 | $119,580 | 47,130 |
| Colorado | $56,930 | $78,190 | $106,160 | 5,620 |
| Connecticut | $46,440 | $63,820 | $100,040 | 5,210 |
| Delaware | $48,880 | $63,110 | $99,390 | 2,480 |
| District of Columbia | $59,770 | $89,750 | $131,650 | 6,400 |
| Florida | $38,830 | $61,000 | $83,410 | 40,950 |
| Georgia | $39,530 | $62,400 | $101,210 | 14,160 |
| Hawaii | $47,010 | $62,840 | $85,440 | 1,170 |
| Idaho | $36,930 | $49,690 | $75,420 | 2,030 |
| Illinois | $46,860 | $63,670 | $104,580 | 14,130 |
| Indiana | $40,650 | $57,030 | $92,160 | 5,910 |
| Iowa | $37,900 | $54,550 | $83,520 | 2,980 |
| Kansas | $38,860 | $55,000 | $79,090 | 2,210 |
| Kentucky | $36,560 | $59,830 | $78,730 | 3,540 |
| Louisiana | $36,960 | $60,250 | $78,230 | 4,890 |
| Maine | $48,260 | $62,420 | $80,550 | 1,210 |
| Maryland | $48,260 | $65,640 | $108,380 | 6,460 |
| Massachusetts | $49,770 | $77,640 | $117,480 | 7,800 |
| Michigan | $46,590 | $62,170 | $96,610 | 7,730 |
| Minnesota | $47,730 | $75,570 | $102,920 | 7,400 |
| Mississippi | $35,660 | $46,180 | $67,960 | 2,270 |
| Missouri | $42,150 | $61,410 | $96,820 | 7,130 |
| Montana | $46,140 | $57,290 | $76,660 | 1,010 |
| Nebraska | $44,230 | $63,250 | $86,990 | 1,630 |
| Nevada | $47,640 | $64,680 | $82,160 | 3,620 |
| New Hampshire | $46,870 | $62,040 | $86,190 | 1,430 |
| New Jersey | $47,070 | $71,500 | $99,900 | 12,010 |
| New Mexico | $43,660 | $59,840 | $80,490 | 1,740 |
| New York | $48,330 | $68,410 | $115,720 | 34,220 |
| North Carolina | $38,570 | $57,500 | $84,410 | 13,650 |
| North Dakota | $45,300 | $59,430 | $78,430 | 730 |
| Ohio | $41,720 | $60,420 | $94,660 | 9,270 |
| Oklahoma | $36,020 | $53,170 | $82,060 | 3,110 |
| Oregon | $48,250 | $61,490 | $98,640 | 4,870 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,710 | $63,370 | $96,080 | 14,670 |
| Rhode Island | $43,370 | $56,250 | $79,650 | 2,070 |
| South Carolina | $38,020 | $53,880 | $75,640 | 7,420 |
| South Dakota | $48,890 | $58,320 | $84,090 | 600 |
| Tennessee | $43,570 | $58,820 | $83,100 | 6,080 |
| Texas | $39,190 | $62,310 | $98,440 | 29,540 |
| Utah | $43,930 | $63,220 | $100,510 | 3,250 |
| Vermont | $48,650 | $67,160 | $87,390 | 660 |
| Virginia | $47,860 | $63,990 | $100,550 | 10,250 |
| Washington | $50,470 | $79,400 | $116,750 | 9,460 |
| West Virginia | $35,770 | $59,000 | $107,310 | 1,660 |
| Wisconsin | $45,220 | $58,500 | $86,210 | 4,780 |
| Wyoming | $35,890 | $49,490 | $64,780 | 600 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. “Not released” means BLS suppressed the estimate, usually because the state sample was too small — this page shows that rather than guessing.
Highest-paying metro areas for paralegals
| Metro area | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $99,250 | $157,450 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92,900 | $119,820 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $84,030 | $131,820 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $81,590 | $126,020 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $80,930 | $97,500 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $80,500 | $111,560 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $79,850 | $126,470 |
| Vallejo, CA | $79,280 | $99,600 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $78,550 | $113,290 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $78,160 | $100,890 |
Top 10 of the 393 metro areas BLS publishes. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average paralegal salary?
The median paralegal salary in the United States is $62,890 a year as of May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Half of paralegals earn more than that and half earn less. The 10th percentile is $44,740 and the 90th percentile is $101,500.
Which state pays paralegals the most?
District of Columbia, with a median of $89,750. The lowest of the states BLS publishes is Mississippi at $46,180, a gap of $43,570. Higher-paying states also tend to have higher housing costs, so compare take-home pay and rent rather than the headline figure alone.
How much do paralegals make an hour?
The median hourly wage is $30.24 as of May 2025.
Is this data self-reported?
No. These figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, which collects wage data from employers rather than from workers submitting their own salaries. It is public-domain federal data.