Paralegals
Paralegals earn an average annual salary of $79,010, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 16.6% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Paralegals workforce.
Employment Over Time
45,740 Workforce in 2023
The Paralegals workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Paralegals.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$79,010 Average Wage
In 2023, Paralegals earned an average of $79,010.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Paralegals.
Salary distribution for Paralegals.
Employment Growth Projections
3.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
214,917 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 18.5%
254,628 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 40.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Paralegals.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Paralegals and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Paralegals employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Paralegals.
Wage Trends by Industry
-2.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Paralegals.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Paralegals.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 44,100 employees, $79,290 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Paralegals.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 16,120 employees, $75,644 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 5,170 employees, $73,599 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 4,390 employees, $98,069 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 3,690 employees, $79,062 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 2,970 employees, $87,237 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 2,930 employees, $78,620 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 2,630 employees, $66,253 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 2,050 employees, $104,526 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 920 employees, $66,705 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 590 employees, $75,631 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Paralegals.
Diversity
Demographic information on Paralegals in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Paralegals in 2023 was 45,740 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Paralegals.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Paralegals.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Paralegals.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Paralegals in 2023 were Paralegal Studies, Criminal Justice, Political Science.
Common majors for Paralegals.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Paralegals workers.
Education level distribution for Paralegals.
Skills
Paralegals need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Paralegals.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Paralegals.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Paralegals include Administrative, English Language, Law and Government, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Paralegals.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Paralegals include Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Paralegals.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Paralegals.
Daily Activities
Paralegals spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards.
Most important work activities for Paralegals.
About
Paralegals and Legal Assistants
The average yearly wage for Paralegals was $79,010 in 2023.
SOC Code
23-2011 - Paralegals
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Paralegals reports an average salary of $79,010.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 45,740 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.