Paralegal salary
What a paralegal actually earns, from 1,036 live job postings blended with the official US OEWS (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) wage anchor. Pick a market for its median and range, then read the seniority split, the trend, and the country comparison below. Updated 2026-07-23.
Switch the market above to see paralegal pay in the 3 countries our sources cover, each with its own cost of living. The trend, seniority, and state detail below are United States data, where the official record runs deepest.
What the number means
A paralegal earns a blended US median near 72,785 dollars, with the typical middle running from 58,945 dollars to 87,273 dollars. The official OEWS median is 61,010 dollars, under the posted figure, because the advertised roles skew senior or well-funded. The official trend has moved up about 18 percent since 2019. By seniority, posted pay runs from roughly 50,413 dollars to 75,359 dollars. Demand is rated high, and 1% of postings are fully remote. The nearest adjacent move on our skill graph is executive assistant, at 17 percent coverage; the instrument maps the rest.
Open paralegal roles
Live openings tagged to this occupation, from company career pages and remote boards. Apply at the source.
- Paralegal SpecialistOffice of the Secretary of Labor · Multiple Locations$75k–$107kJul 20
- PARALEGAL SPECIALIST- ACCELERATED HIREArmy National Guard Units · Latham, New York$77k–$100kJul 20
- PARALEGAL SPECIALIST (APPELLATE)Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys · Little Rock, Arkansas$75k–$97kJul 20
- Paralegal Specialist (ACE)Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys · Saint Louis, Missouri$92k–$119kJul 17
- Paralegal SpecialistNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Multiple Locations$75k–$113kJul 17
- Paralegal SpecialistU.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Multiple Locations$77k–$121kJul 17
By seniority
Posted-median pay by seniority signal in the title, from our corpus. Noisy at the edges where sample sizes are small.
By country
- United States$58,945 – $87,273 · median $72,785
- Canada$48,145 – $67,760 · median $56,704
- United Kingdom$36,298 – $44,364 · median $38,314
Top-paying US states
OEWS median by state, highest first.
- Washingtonmedian $78,010
- Massachusettsmedian $74,990
- Coloradomedian $73,380
- Californiamedian $72,960
- New Yorkmedian $66,390
- Oregonmedian $63,970
Is your offer fair?
Run a specific number through FairElephant, which weighs it against this data, your location, and remote market rates.
Related salaries
- Executive Assistant salary$72,772 median
- Dietitian salary$62,332 median
- Lawyer salary$166,982 median
Quick answers
How much does a paralegal make?
The blended US median is about 72,785 dollars, with a typical range from 58,945 dollars to 87,273 dollars, against an official OEWS median of 61,010 dollars.
Is paralegal a good career in 2026?
Demand for the role is rated high in our July 2026 corpus, with 1% of postings fully remote. The pay is shown above by seniority and by country.
What can a paralegal move into?
The nearest adjacent role on our skill graph is executive assistant, at 17 percent skill coverage. Run the instrument for the full set of reachable moves.
Method: bands are the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of live US postings with stated pay, shrunk toward the official OEWS anchor by sample size (the “blended” figure). Trend is the OEWS annual median for SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code 23-2011. Unemployment is the 2025 BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) CPS (Current Population Survey) annual-average rate for “Paralegals and legal assistants.” Live corpus 1,036 observations, 2026-07-23. Definitions in the glossary.