Paralegals Salary: $61,010 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 367,220 paralegals work nationally, and $61,010 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown rose about 17% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.4% annual growth.
Paralegals: what the data shows
Common questions about paralegals careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a paralegals?
Paralegals is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 23-2011.
Paralegals and Legal Assistants
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 367,220 workers.
What does a paralegals do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Performing Administrative Activities, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a paralegals make?
BLS national median annual wage: $61,010 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $79,010 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,305 |
| 25th percentile | $58,590 |
| Median (50th) | $74,943 |
| 75th percentile | $98,517 |
| 90th percentile | $108,213 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Active Learning, and knowledge areas including Administrative, English Language, Law and Government, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is paralegals in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 18.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 40.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 367,220.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do paralegalss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 367,220 | 19.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 319,460 | 16.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 286,280 | 15.1% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 286,280 | 15.1% |
| Legal Services | 281,870 | 14.9% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 47,760 | 2.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Paralegals in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | 747,750 | $151,160 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | 25,580 | $156,210 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 59,710 | $93,330 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 16,600 | $71,410 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 154,540 | $54,140 |
| Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators | 7,860 | $67,710 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Paralegals workforce.
Employment Over Time
367,220 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Paralegals grew from 105,440 in 2009 to 181,400 in 2025 (72.0%).
Historical employment for Paralegals from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$61,010 Median pay (BLS national)
Paralegals earn $61,010 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 45,740 employees, $76,920 avg wage
- FL: 37,410 employees, $61,150 avg wage
- TX: 28,770 employees, $62,650 avg wage
- NY: 28,510 employees, $74,580 avg wage
- GA: 14,480 employees, $62,400 avg wage
- PA: 14,130 employees, $65,920 avg wage
- IL: 12,430 employees, $68,960 avg wage
- NC: 12,270 employees, $56,810 avg wage
- NJ: 11,720 employees, $69,010 avg wage
- WA: 9,070 employees, $83,930 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Paralegals.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 29,300 employees, $77,050 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 21,290 employees, $73,160 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 15,160 employees, $64,660 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 11,080 employees, $86,540 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 10,970 employees, $70,290 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 10,810 employees, $66,380 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 10,250 employees, $71,960 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 8,100 employees, $66,000 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 7,670 employees, $91,000 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 6,580 employees, $68,870 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Paralegals.
Diversity
Demographic information on Paralegals in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Paralegals is about 367,220 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Paralegals earn $61,010 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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 367,220 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.