Outpaid

Paralegals and Legal Assistants salary

The BLS estimates 392,880 Paralegals and Legal Assistants jobs in the U.S. with a median base pay of $62,890 (May 2025, SOC 23-2011). Across 220 metros with published figures, medians range from $38,780 in San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR to $99,250 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.

PARALEGALS AND LEGAL ASSISTANTS · UNITED STATES · BLS
BLS · UNITED STATES · ALL EMPLOYERS, ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS
P10$44,740P25$50,340MEDIAN$62,890P75$80,080P90$101,500
30 SECONDS · NO SIGNUP · ON-DEVICE

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HIGHEST-PAYING METROS

  1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$99,250 · 2,030 jobs
  2. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$92,900 · 6,310 jobs
  3. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$84,030 · 7,630 jobs
  4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$81,590 · 12,990 jobs
  5. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$80,930 · 360 jobs
  6. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$80,500 · 3,740 jobs
  7. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$79,850 · 6,300 jobs
  8. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$78,550 · 2,590 jobs
  9. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$78,160 · 290 jobs
  10. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$77,520 · 22,240 jobs

LARGEST METROS

  1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$75,330 · 33,850 jobs
  2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$77,520 · 22,240 jobs
  3. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$62,090 · 17,820 jobs
  4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$81,590 · 12,990 jobs
  5. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$70,550 · 11,590 jobs
  6. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$70,430 · 11,150 jobs
  7. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$64,080 · 10,290 jobs
  8. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$63,220 · 8,320 jobs
  9. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$84,030 · 7,630 jobs
  10. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$62,730 · 7,320 jobs

EMPLOYERS WITH THE MOST VISA-SPONSORED FILINGS FOR THIS JOB

ALL METROS (A–Z)

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY · Albuquerque, NM · Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA · Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX · Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD · Birmingham, AL · Boise City, ID · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH · Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT · Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY · Charleston-North Charleston, SC · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN · Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · Cleveland, OH · Columbia, SC · Columbus, OH · Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX · Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA · Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI · Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC · Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA · Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT · Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX · Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN · Jacksonville, FL · Kansas City, MO-KS · Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA · Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN · Memphis, TN-MS-AR · Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL · Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI · Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI · Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN · New Orleans-Metairie, LA · New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ · Oklahoma City, OK · Omaha, NE-IA · Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL · Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD · Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ · Pittsburgh, PA · Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA · Raleigh-Cary, NC · Richmond, VA · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA · Rochester, NY · Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA · Salt Lake City-Murray, UT · San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA · St. Louis, MO-IL · Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL · Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Questions

What is the median Paralegals and Legal Assistants salary in the U.S.?

$62,890 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $50,340–$80,080.

Where do Paralegals and Legal Assistants earn the most?

Highest metro medians: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($99,250), Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($92,900), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($84,030). Cost of living differs, so compare offers locally.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025 (metro, state and national estimates). Employer filing counts: U.S. DOL OFLC LCA disclosure data FY2026 Q3, visa-sponsored positions only.