Salary by state
Paralegals and Legal Assistants Salary by State
Median annual wage from the latest BLS Occupational Employment Statistics release. Hover any state for the cost-of-living adjusted figure. Click to open the full state breakdown.
Paralegals and Legal AssistantsBLS OES May 2025
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Paralegals and Legal Assistants — median wage by state
- District of Columbia: $89,750, COL-adjusted $81,665
- Washington: $79,400, COL-adjusted $74,206
- Colorado: $78,190, COL-adjusted $75,839
- Massachusetts: $77,640, COL-adjusted $73,384
- California: $77,390, COL-adjusted $69,910
- Minnesota: $75,570, COL-adjusted $76,643
- New Jersey: $71,500, COL-adjusted $65,717
- Alaska: $68,700, COL-adjusted $67,090
- New York: $68,410, COL-adjusted $63,401
- Vermont: $67,160, COL-adjusted $68,531
- Maryland: $65,640, COL-adjusted $62,514
- Nevada: $64,680, COL-adjusted $64,680
- Virginia: $63,990, COL-adjusted $63,294
- Connecticut: $63,820, COL-adjusted $61,602
- Illinois: $63,670, COL-adjusted $63,670
- Pennsylvania: $63,370, COL-adjusted $64,928
- Nebraska: $63,250, COL-adjusted $70,200
- Utah: $63,220, COL-adjusted $63,923
- Delaware: $63,110, COL-adjusted $63,236
- Hawaii: $62,840, COL-adjusted $57,127
- Maine: $62,420, COL-adjusted $64,284
- Georgia: $62,400, COL-adjusted $64,798
- Texas: $62,310, COL-adjusted $64,171
- Michigan: $62,170, COL-adjusted $64,626
- New Hampshire: $62,040, COL-adjusted $59,539
- Arizona: $61,630, COL-adjusted $61,202
- Oregon: $61,490, COL-adjusted $59,468
- Missouri: $61,410, COL-adjusted $67,632
- Florida: $61,000, COL-adjusted $58,994
- Ohio: $60,420, COL-adjusted $65,108
- Louisiana: $60,250, COL-adjusted $68,311
- New Mexico: $59,840, COL-adjusted $64,902
- Kentucky: $59,830, COL-adjusted $66,330
- North Dakota: $59,430, COL-adjusted $66,775
- West Virginia: $59,000, COL-adjusted $65,922
- Tennessee: $58,820, COL-adjusted $64,004
- Wisconsin: $58,500, COL-adjusted $62,168
- South Dakota: $58,320, COL-adjusted $65,824
- North Carolina: $57,500, COL-adjusted $60,976
- Montana: $57,290, COL-adjusted $60,560
- Indiana: $57,030, COL-adjusted $61,125
- Rhode Island: $56,250, COL-adjusted $54,985
- Kansas: $55,000, COL-adjusted $61,043
- Iowa: $54,550, COL-adjusted $62,130
- South Carolina: $53,880, COL-adjusted $57,503
- Oklahoma: $53,170, COL-adjusted $60,558
- Idaho: $49,690, COL-adjusted $52,031
- Wyoming: $49,490, COL-adjusted $53,387
- Arkansas: $47,420, COL-adjusted $54,568
- Alabama: $47,260, COL-adjusted $53,221
- Mississippi: $46,180, COL-adjusted $53,080
All states
51 of 51 results · sorted by value: high to low
- District of Columbia$89,750
- Washington$79,400
- Colorado$78,190
- Massachusetts$77,640
- California$77,390
- Minnesota$75,570
- New Jersey$71,500
- Alaska$68,700
- New York$68,410
- Vermont$67,160
- Maryland$65,640
- Nevada$64,680
- Virginia$63,990
- Connecticut$63,820
- Illinois$63,670
- Pennsylvania$63,370
- Nebraska$63,250
- Utah$63,220
- Delaware$63,110
- Hawaii$62,840
- Maine$62,420
- Georgia$62,400
- Texas$62,310
- Michigan$62,170
- New Hampshire$62,040
- Arizona$61,630
- Oregon$61,490
- Missouri$61,410
- Florida$61,000
- Ohio$60,420
- Louisiana$60,250
- New Mexico$59,840
- Kentucky$59,830
- North Dakota$59,430
- West Virginia$59,000
- Tennessee$58,820
- Wisconsin$58,500
- South Dakota$58,320
- North Carolina$57,500
- Montana$57,290
- Indiana$57,030
- Rhode Island$56,250
- Kansas$55,000
- Iowa$54,550
- South Carolina$53,880
- Oklahoma$53,170
- Idaho$49,690
- Wyoming$49,490
- Arkansas$47,420
- Alabama$47,260
- Mississippi$46,180
Highest- and lowest-paying states for paralegals and legal assistants
Ranked by median annual wage from the BLS 2025 release. The full sortable list is above; these are the extremes.
Highest-paying
- 1. District of Columbia$89,750
- 2. Washington$79,400
- 3. Colorado$78,190
- 4. Massachusetts$77,640
- 5. California$77,390
Lowest-paying
- Mississippi$46,180
- Alabama$47,260
- Arkansas$47,420
- Wyoming$49,490
- Idaho$49,690
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average Paralegals and Legal Assistants salary in the United States?
- The US median wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants is $65,349 per year (BLS, 2025). Half earn more and half earn less.
- Which state pays Paralegals and Legal Assistants the most?
- District of Columbia pays Paralegals and Legal Assistants the most, with a median of $89,750, followed by Washington ($79,400). The lowest median is in Mississippi at $46,180.
- How much do Paralegals and Legal Assistants salaries vary by state?
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants median pay ranges from $46,180 to $89,750 across the 50 states and DC — a spread largely explained by cost of living and local demand. The table below ranks every state.
- Are Paralegals and Legal Assistants jobs growing?
- BLS projects a +0.2% change in Paralegals and Legal Assistants employment from 2024 to 2034 — slower than average.