Paralegals and Legal Assistants: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Q: Which state pays paralegals and legal assistants the most?

District of Columbia, at a median of $89,750. After adjusting for prices, District of Columbia is highest, at $81,664 in US-average prices.

Q: What education do paralegals and legal assistants need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists associate's degree as the typical education to start. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links one program here to paralegals and legal assistants: Paralegal Studies (Associate's).

392,880 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: associate's degree
Occupation code 23-2011

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Paralegals and legal assistants earn a median of $62,890 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($89,750) and lowest in Puerto Rico ($38,770). After adjusting for prices, District of Columbia is highest ($81,664) and Idaho lowest ($52,035). Jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,800 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$62,890US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$44,740US

Top 10% earn over$101,500US

Projected job changeAbout the same2025 to 2035, about 40,800 openings a year

Pay for paralegals and legal assistants by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	District of Columbia	$89,750	$81,664	6,400	$59,770	$131,650
2	Washington	$79,400	$74,197	9,460	$50,470	$116,750
3	Colorado	$78,190	$75,874	5,620	$56,930	$106,160
4	Massachusetts	$77,640	$73,414	7,800	$49,770	$117,480
5	California	$77,390	$69,897	47,130	$50,460	$119,580
6	Minnesota	$75,570	$76,627	7,400	$47,730	$102,920
7	New Jersey	$71,500	$65,714	12,010	$47,070	$99,900
8	Alaska	$68,700	$67,117	570	$53,830	$99,320
9	New York	$68,410	$63,389	34,220	$48,330	$115,720
10	Vermont	$67,160	$68,560	660	$48,650	$87,390
11	Maryland	$65,640	$62,539	6,460	$48,260	$108,380
12	Nevada	$64,680	$64,694	3,620	$47,640	$82,160
13	Virginia	$63,990	$63,291	10,250	$47,860	$100,550
14	Connecticut	$63,820	$61,596	5,210	$46,440	$100,040
15	Illinois	$63,670	$63,697	14,130	$46,860	$104,580
16	Pennsylvania	$63,370	$64,947	14,670	$45,710	$96,080
17	Nebraska	$63,250	$70,197	1,630	$44,230	$86,990
18	Utah	$63,220	$63,946	3,250	$43,930	$100,510
19	Delaware	$63,110	$63,231	2,480	$48,880	$99,390
20	Hawaii	$62,840	$57,153	1,170	$47,010	$85,440
21	Maine	$62,420	$64,317	1,210	$48,260	$80,550
22	Georgia	$62,400	$64,802	14,160	$39,530	$101,210
23	Texas	$62,310	$64,199	29,540	$39,190	$98,440
24	Michigan	$62,170	$64,614	7,730	$46,590	$96,610
25	New Hampshire	$62,040	$59,559	1,430	$46,870	$86,190
26	Arizona	$61,630	$61,216	7,890	$45,700	$96,340
27	Oregon	$61,490	$59,491	4,870	$48,250	$98,640
28	Missouri	$61,410	$67,619	7,130	$42,150	$96,820
29	Florida	$61,000	$58,986	40,950	$38,830	$83,410
30	Ohio	$60,420	$65,126	9,270	$41,720	$94,660
31	Louisiana	$60,250	$68,305	4,890	$36,960	$78,230
32	New Mexico	$59,840	$64,894	1,740	$43,660	$80,490
33	Kentucky	$59,830	$66,361	3,540	$36,560	$78,730
34	North Dakota	$59,430	$66,806	730	$45,300	$78,430
35	West Virginia	$59,000	$65,924	1,660	$35,770	$107,310
36	Tennessee	$58,820	$64,025	6,080	$43,570	$83,100
37	Wisconsin	$58,500	$62,171	4,780	$45,220	$86,210
38	South Dakota	$58,320	$65,834	600	$48,890	$84,090
39	North Carolina	$57,500	$60,959	13,650	$38,570	$84,410
40	Montana	$57,290	$60,531	1,010	$46,140	$76,660
41	Indiana	$57,030	$61,106	5,910	$40,650	$92,160
42	Rhode Island	$56,250	$54,996	2,070	$43,370	$79,650
43	Kansas	$55,000	$61,065	2,210	$38,860	$79,090
44	Iowa	$54,550	$62,157	2,980	$37,900	$83,520
45	South Carolina	$53,880	$57,473	7,420	$38,020	$75,640
46	Oklahoma	$53,170	$60,528	3,110	$36,020	$82,060
47	Idaho	$49,690	$52,035	2,030	$36,930	$75,420
48	Wyoming	$49,490	$53,392	600	$35,890	$64,780
49	Arkansas	$47,420	$54,545	1,610	$36,290	$81,700
50	Alabama	$47,260	$53,207	5,700	$30,750	$77,100
51	Mississippi	$46,180	$53,109	2,270	$35,660	$67,960
52	Puerto Rico	$38,770	Not available	1,110	$29,160	$73,550

State names link to the state's college page. Puerto Rico has no BEA price level, so its pay is not adjusted.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to paralegals and legal assistants. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Paralegal Studies (Associate's)	57	$37,559	$19,500

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Paralegals and legal assistants earn a median of $62,890 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $44,740, and the top 10% more than $101,500.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release

Paralegals and Legal Assistants: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Pay for paralegals and legal assistants by state

Programs that lead to this job

Common questions

How much do paralegals and legal assistants make?

Which state pays paralegals and legal assistants the most?

What education do paralegals and legal assistants need?

Are jobs for paralegals and legal assistants growing?

About this data

Sources