Paralegal and Legal Assistant Salary by State
How much paralegals and legal assistants earn in each state. SOC code 23-2011 (Paralegals and Legal Assistants). Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025.
- National median wage$62,890Half earn more, half less
- National mean wage$69,700Average of all workers
- Median hourly wage$30.24Mean $33.51/hour
- U.S. employment392,880Wage & salary jobs
- Top-paying stateDistrict of Columbia$95,400 mean
- States with data51 / 51Others not published by BLS
How much do paralegals and legal assistants make?
Nationally, paralegals and legal assistants earn a median of $62,890 a year and a mean of $69,700 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle half of the occupation earns between $50,340 (25th percentile) and $80,080 (75th percentile); the bottom 10% earn under $44,740 and the top 10% more than $101,500.
That median is 1.2× the median for all U.S. occupations ($50,980).
By state, the mean wage ranges from $95,400 in District of Columbia (highest) to $49,500 in Mississippi (lowest). After adjusting the median for each state’s price level, District of Columbia comes out on top at $81,665 in national-average dollars.
National pay distribution
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $44,740 | $3,728 | $21.51 |
| 25th | $50,340 | $4,195 | $24.20 |
| Median | $62,890 | $5,241 | $30.24 |
| 75th | $80,080 | $6,673 | $38.50 |
| 90th | $101,500 | $8,458 | $48.80 |
| Mean | $69,700 | $5,808 | $33.51 |
25th and 75th percentile hourly figures are annual ÷ 2,080 hours.
Paralegal and Legal Assistant salary in every state
Click a column heading to sort. Adjusted median = median × 100 ÷ BEA regional price parity (2024).
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | Median hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Adjusted median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $95,400 | $89,750 | $43.15 | $59,770 | $131,650 | $81,665 | 6,400 |
| Washington | $83,740 | $79,400 | $38.17 | $50,470 | $116,750 | $74,206 | 9,460 |
| California | $81,320 | $77,390 | $37.21 | $50,460 | $119,580 | $69,910 | 47,130 |
| Massachusetts | $81,160 | $77,640 | $37.33 | $49,770 | $117,480 | $73,384 | 7,800 |
| Colorado | $80,760 | $78,190 | $37.59 | $56,930 | $106,160 | $75,839 | 5,620 |
| New York | $76,890 | $68,410 | $32.89 | $48,330 | $115,720 | $63,401 | 34,220 |
| Minnesota | $73,960 | $75,570 | $36.33 | $47,730 | $102,920 | $76,643 | 7,400 |
| Alaska | $73,440 | $68,700 | $33.03 | $53,830 | $99,320 | $67,090 | 570 |
| Maryland | $73,060 | $65,640 | $31.56 | $48,260 | $108,380 | $62,514 | 6,460 |
| New Jersey | $72,550 | $71,500 | $34.38 | $47,070 | $99,900 | $65,717 | 12,010 |
| Illinois | $72,310 | $63,670 | $30.61 | $46,860 | $104,580 | $63,670 | 14,130 |
| Georgia | $71,210 | $62,400 | $30.00 | $39,530 | $101,210 | $64,798 | 14,160 |
| Virginia | $70,740 | $63,990 | $30.77 | $47,860 | $100,550 | $63,294 | 10,250 |
| Delaware | $69,860 | $63,110 | $30.34 | $48,880 | $99,390 | $63,236 | 2,480 |
| Oregon | $69,830 | $61,490 | $29.56 | $48,250 | $98,640 | $59,468 | 4,870 |
| Connecticut | $69,040 | $63,820 | $30.68 | $46,440 | $100,040 | $61,602 | 5,210 |
| Vermont | $69,020 | $67,160 | $32.29 | $48,650 | $87,390 | $68,531 | 660 |
| Pennsylvania | $68,510 | $63,370 | $30.47 | $45,710 | $96,080 | $64,928 | 14,670 |
| Arizona | $67,850 | $61,630 | $29.63 | $45,700 | $96,340 | $61,202 | 7,890 |
| Utah | $67,810 | $63,220 | $30.40 | $43,930 | $100,510 | $63,923 | 3,250 |
| Michigan | $67,240 | $62,170 | $29.89 | $46,590 | $96,610 | $64,626 | 7,730 |
| New Hampshire | $66,940 | $62,040 | $29.83 | $46,870 | $86,190 | $59,539 | 1,430 |
| Nevada | $66,350 | $64,680 | $31.10 | $47,640 | $82,160 | $64,680 | 3,620 |
| Texas | $65,480 | $62,310 | $29.96 | $39,190 | $98,440 | $64,171 | 29,540 |
| Hawaii | $65,400 | $62,840 | $30.21 | $47,010 | $85,440 | $57,127 | 1,170 |
| Missouri | $64,380 | $61,410 | $29.52 | $42,150 | $96,820 | $67,632 | 7,130 |
| Maine | $64,260 | $62,420 | $30.01 | $48,260 | $80,550 | $64,351 | 1,210 |
| Ohio | $64,180 | $60,420 | $29.05 | $41,720 | $94,660 | $65,108 | 9,270 |
| West Virginia | $63,590 | $59,000 | $28.37 | $35,770 | $107,310 | $65,922 | 1,660 |
| Nebraska | $63,480 | $63,250 | $30.41 | $44,230 | $86,990 | $70,200 | 1,630 |
| Florida | $63,250 | $61,000 | $29.33 | $38,830 | $83,410 | $58,994 | 40,950 |
| South Dakota | $62,260 | $58,320 | $28.04 | $48,890 | $84,090 | $65,824 | 600 |
| Indiana | $61,830 | $57,030 | $27.42 | $40,650 | $92,160 | $61,125 | 5,910 |
| New Mexico | $61,530 | $59,840 | $28.77 | $43,660 | $80,490 | $64,902 | 1,740 |
| Wisconsin | $61,270 | $58,500 | $28.12 | $45,220 | $86,210 | $62,168 | 4,780 |
| Tennessee | $60,790 | $58,820 | $28.28 | $43,570 | $83,100 | $64,004 | 6,080 |
| North Carolina | $60,770 | $57,500 | $27.64 | $38,570 | $84,410 | $60,976 | 13,650 |
| Arkansas | $60,110 | $47,420 | $22.80 | $36,290 | $81,700 | $54,568 | 1,610 |
| Louisiana | $59,360 | $60,250 | $28.97 | $36,960 | $78,230 | $68,311 | 4,890 |
| Kentucky | $59,240 | $59,830 | $28.76 | $36,560 | $78,730 | $66,330 | 3,540 |
| Montana | $58,930 | $57,290 | $27.54 | $46,140 | $76,660 | $60,560 | 1,010 |
| North Dakota | $58,880 | $59,430 | $28.57 | $45,300 | $78,430 | $66,775 | 730 |
| Iowa | $58,780 | $54,550 | $26.23 | $37,900 | $83,520 | $62,130 | 2,980 |
| Rhode Island | $58,630 | $56,250 | $27.04 | $43,370 | $79,650 | $54,985 | 2,070 |
| Kansas | $57,680 | $55,000 | $26.44 | $38,860 | $79,090 | $61,043 | 2,210 |
| South Carolina | $55,790 | $53,880 | $25.90 | $38,020 | $75,640 | $57,503 | 7,420 |
| Oklahoma | $55,510 | $53,170 | $25.56 | $36,020 | $82,060 | $60,558 | 3,110 |
| Idaho | $54,640 | $49,690 | $23.89 | $36,930 | $75,420 | $52,031 | 2,030 |
| Alabama | $52,730 | $47,260 | $22.72 | $30,750 | $77,100 | $53,221 | 5,700 |
| Wyoming | $52,540 | $49,490 | $23.80 | $35,890 | $64,780 | $53,387 | 600 |
| Mississippi | $49,500 | $46,180 | $22.20 | $35,660 | $67,960 | $53,080 | 2,270 |
Highest median pay
- District of Columbia — $89,750
- Washington — $79,400
- Colorado — $78,190
- Massachusetts — $77,640
- California — $77,390
Lowest median pay
- Mississippi — $46,180
- Alabama — $47,260
- Arkansas — $47,420
- Wyoming — $49,490
- Idaho — $49,690
Best pay after cost of living
- District of Columbia — $81,665
- Minnesota — $76,643
- Colorado — $75,839
- Washington — $74,206
- Massachusetts — $73,384
The most paralegals and legal assistants work in California (47,130 jobs), Florida and New York.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a paralegal and legal assistant make?
The national median wage for paralegals and legal assistants is $62,890 a year and the mean is $69,700, according to BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
Which state pays paralegals and legal assistants the most?
District of Columbia has the highest mean wage for paralegals and legal assistants at $95,400.
Which state pays paralegals and legal assistants the least?
Mississippi has the lowest mean wage for paralegals and legal assistants among states with published data, at $49,500.
Where do paralegals and legal assistants earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state’s median wage by its BEA price level, District of Columbia ranks first at $81,665 in national-average dollars, followed by Minnesota and Colorado.