Paralegal salary in 2026
The median paralegal in the United States earns $62,890 a year, or $30.24 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey, published this year. The middle half of paralegals earn between $50,340 and $80,080.
Where you work matters more than anything else: District of Columbia pays a median of $89,750, Washington $79,400, and the highest paying metro area, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, $99,250. There are 392,880 paralegals in the country.
Liaison does the routine half of a paralegal’s job for 9% of what one costs. See how.
Paralegal salary by state
Median annual and hourly wage, the range the middle half earn, and how many paralegals work in each state. Click a state for its cities.
| State | Median annual | Median hourly | Middle half earns | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $89,750 | $43.15 | $72,240 to $114,920 | 6,400 |
| Washington | $79,400 | $38.17 | $62,670 to $100,960 | 9,460 |
| Colorado | $78,190 | $37.59 | $62,560 to $95,070 | 5,620 |
| Massachusetts | $77,640 | $37.33 | $62,580 to $96,820 | 7,800 |
| California | $77,390 | $37.21 | $60,170 to $98,430 | 47,130 |
| Minnesota | $75,570 | $36.33 | $56,230 to $83,420 | 7,400 |
| New Jersey | $71,500 | $34.38 | $60,040 to $80,920 | 12,010 |
| Alaska | $68,700 | $33.03 | $61,100 to $84,880 | 570 |
| New York | $68,410 | $32.89 | $57,430 to $94,200 | 34,220 |
| Vermont | $67,160 | $32.29 | $58,530 to $78,620 | 660 |
| Maryland | $65,640 | $31.56 | $51,660 to $84,700 | 6,460 |
| Nevada | $64,680 | $31.10 | $55,410 to $76,980 | 3,620 |
| Virginia | $63,990 | $30.77 | $56,050 to $81,590 | 10,250 |
| Connecticut | $63,820 | $30.68 | $50,180 to $80,580 | 5,210 |
| Illinois | $63,670 | $30.61 | $56,160 to $81,970 | 14,130 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,370 | $30.47 | $50,710 to $78,980 | 14,670 |
| Nebraska | $63,250 | $30.41 | $49,390 to $73,940 | 1,630 |
| Utah | $63,220 | $30.40 | $48,790 to $80,160 | 3,250 |
| Delaware | $63,110 | $30.34 | $55,190 to $78,360 | 2,480 |
| Hawaii | $62,840 | $30.21 | $52,670 to $75,120 | 1,170 |
| Maine | $62,420 | $30.01 | $57,840 to $71,500 | 1,210 |
| Georgia | $62,400 | $30.00 | $48,940 to $81,120 | 14,160 |
| Texas | $62,310 | $29.96 | $47,410 to $77,740 | 29,540 |
| Michigan | $62,170 | $29.89 | $51,280 to $76,820 | 7,730 |
| New Hampshire | $62,040 | $29.83 | $53,540 to $77,040 | 1,430 |
| Arizona | $61,630 | $29.63 | $48,840 to $79,250 | 7,890 |
| Oregon | $61,490 | $29.56 | $55,490 to $80,950 | 4,870 |
| Missouri | $61,410 | $29.52 | $47,520 to $75,980 | 7,130 |
| Florida | $61,000 | $29.33 | $48,230 to $75,780 | 40,950 |
| Ohio | $60,420 | $29.05 | $49,500 to $77,360 | 9,270 |
| Louisiana | $60,250 | $28.97 | $47,520 to $72,790 | 4,890 |
| New Mexico | $59,840 | $28.77 | $48,130 to $72,520 | 1,740 |
| Kentucky | $59,830 | $28.76 | $47,220 to $70,920 | 3,540 |
| North Dakota | $59,430 | $28.57 | $49,290 to $66,120 | 730 |
| West Virginia | $59,000 | $28.37 | $41,410 to $78,360 | 1,660 |
| Tennessee | $58,820 | $28.28 | $47,270 to $67,470 | 6,080 |
| Wisconsin | $58,500 | $28.12 | $47,690 to $71,130 | 4,780 |
| South Dakota | $58,320 | $28.04 | $53,730 to $67,200 | 600 |
| North Carolina | $57,500 | $27.64 | $47,640 to $71,930 | 13,650 |
| Montana | $57,290 | $27.54 | $48,560 to $66,960 | 1,010 |
| Indiana | $57,030 | $27.42 | $46,870 to $74,240 | 5,910 |
| Rhode Island | $56,250 | $27.04 | $44,860 to $66,120 | 2,070 |
| Kansas | $55,000 | $26.44 | $47,000 to $64,170 | 2,210 |
| Iowa | $54,550 | $26.23 | $47,820 to $66,560 | 2,980 |
| South Carolina | $53,880 | $25.90 | $46,630 to $61,620 | 7,420 |
| Oklahoma | $53,170 | $25.56 | $40,330 to $61,840 | 3,110 |
| Virgin Islands | $52,140 | $25.07 | $51,510 to $63,790 | 90 |
| Idaho | $49,690 | $23.89 | $43,990 to $62,540 | 2,030 |
| Wyoming | $49,490 | $23.80 | $47,390 to $56,420 | 600 |
| Arkansas | $47,420 | $22.80 | $43,670 to $61,880 | 1,610 |
| Alabama | $47,260 | $22.72 | $38,150 to $63,490 | 5,700 |
| Mississippi | $46,180 | $22.20 | $36,900 to $58,790 | 2,270 |
| Puerto Rico | $38,770 | $18.64 | $35,780 to $47,150 | 1,110 |
| Guam | $37,920 | $18.23 | $30,700 to $51,380 | 110 |
Highest paying cities for paralegals
The ten metro areas with the highest median, out of the 376 where BLS publishes one.
| Metro area | Median annual | Median hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $99,250 | $47.72 | 2,030 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92,900 | $44.66 | 6,310 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $84,030 | $40.40 | 7,630 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $81,590 | $39.23 | 12,990 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $80,930 | $38.91 | 360 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $80,500 | $38.70 | 3,740 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $79,850 | $38.39 | 6,300 |
| Vallejo, CA | $79,280 | $38.11 | 160 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $78,550 | $37.77 | 2,590 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $78,160 | $37.58 | 290 |
The lowest medians in the 50 states and DC: Beckley, WV ($35,900), Gadsden, AL ($37,980), Anniston-Oxford, AL ($39,270), Decatur, AL ($42,510) and Auburn-Opelika, AL ($43,280).
What it pays where you are
Pick your state or metro area. The wage is the median there; the cost line is what an employer pays once benefits are added.
Paralegal, the United States, 40 hours a week
$84,918 a year
$7,077 a month. Wages $62,899 at the median of $30.24 an hour, plus $22,019 in benefits. The middle half of paralegals here earn $50,340 to $80,080 in wages.
The routine half of a paralegal’s job, for 9% of what one costs.
- Reads the inbox, the calendar and the matter files together, so every follow-up knows the matter.
- Drafts the routine client updates and the chase for the missing document, in your voice.
- Keeps deadlines, intake and billing details current across the tools the firm runs.
Professional is $629 a month, $7,548 a year, against about $84,900 a year for a paralegal at the median once benefits are added. On Professional we connect your tools, bring your data in and set up the first rules with you. Anything that moves money waits for your yes.
“Cut our month-end close from 4 days to 4 hours.” Marcus C., owner
$629 a month, or $500 a month on a 12-month term. Prefer to start on your own? Starter is $149 a month, self-serve, with a free trial first: 7 days, no card. More: AI for law firms.
What paralegals do
Paralegals support attorneys with research, drafting, case files, discovery, filings and client communication. BLS counts them under occupation 23-2011, which is the definition every figure on this page uses.
For an employer, the wage is the start: benefits at a small employer add 35%, so a paralegal at the median costs about $84,900 a year. The employer’s numbers, by state and metro, are on what a paralegal costs. The routine part of the job, the follow-ups, the reconciling, the scheduling, is the part Liaison does inside the tools a business already runs.
Questions
What is the average paralegal salary?
The median paralegal in the United States earned $62,890 a year, or $30.24 an hour, in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey. The middle half earned between $50,340 and $80,080. The median is the wage half of paralegals earn more than and half earn less than, which is a steadier guide than an average.
How much does a paralegal make an hour?
The median paralegal earns $30.24 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey. At 2,080 hours a year that is $62,890. The middle half earn between $24.20 and $38.50 an hour.
Which states pay paralegals the most?
District of Columbia ($89,750), Washington ($79,400), Colorado ($78,190), Massachusetts ($77,640) and California ($77,390).
Which cities pay paralegals the most?
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($99,250), Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($92,900), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($84,030), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($81,590) and Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($80,930), out of the 376 metro areas where BLS publishes a median for paralegals.
How many paralegals are there?
BLS counted 392,880 paralegals employed in the United States in May 2025.
What does a paralegal cost an employer?
Wages are only part of it. At employers with fewer than 50 workers, benefits add 35% on top of wages (BLS, June 2026), so a paralegal at the median costs about $84,900 a year. The employer’s view, by state and metro, is at useliaison.com/back-office-costs/paralegal.
Other roles
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Annual figures assume 2,080 hours a year. Updated 2026-10-02.
See it on your own business.
Thirty minutes with us, on your own tools. Bring the thing that eats your evenings and watch it get handled from your own inbox, calendar and books.
Professional is $629 a month and we set it up with you. Starter is $149 a month, self-serve, with the free trial first: 7 days, no card. Every plan is on the pricing page.