Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$72,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$7,500
10.7% of base
Total target cash
$79,500
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$4,50050th$7,50075th$12,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
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About this role
Paralegals and Legal Assistants is a professional role within the function in the Legal job family.
The Legal function covers advising the business on contracts, regulation, governance, disputes, and risk.
Typical entry preparation: Bachelor's Degree and up to 2 years of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.
Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.
Investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources, to determine causes of action and to prepare cases.
Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits.
Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases.
Top skills:WritingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingTime Management
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay by experience level
Entry level$46,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$52,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$65,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior$83,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$105,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+0.2%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
39,300
projected openings per year
Growing slower than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Paralegals and Legal Assistants salary by industry
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
310,490 workers
$70,000
Legal Services
304,820 workers
$70,000
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
47,670 workers
$74,500
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
19,620 workers
$69,000
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
15,960 workers
$89,500
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
12,090 workers
$64,500
Management of Companies and Enterprises
6,970 workers
$97,500
Management of Companies and Enterprises
6,970 workers
$97,500
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
6,790 workers
$83,000
Administrative and Support Services
5,030 workers
$73,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Who works in this role
About 486,000 people held this occupation in the United States in 2025.
Women
82.4%
White
81.1%
Black or African American
11.4%
Asian
5.7%
Hispanic or Latino
20.4%
Race categories and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity overlap, so shares can sum to more than 100 percent. Figures describe this occupation across the national workforce, not any single employer. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Annual Averages, Table 11, 2025.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $52,920 to $62,890.
+18.8% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$46,500
Early career25th percentile
$52,000
Median50th percentile
$65,000
Experienced75th percentile
$83,000
Top earners90th percentile
$105,000
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.
Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.
Investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources, to determine causes of action and to prepare cases.
Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits.
Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Exempt · Professional, Administrative, or Executive exemption
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Exempt when paid above the salary threshold, provided they satisfy the duties test for one of the FLSA exemption categories. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$72,000
2027$74,500
2028$77,000
2029$80,000
2030$82,500
2031$85,500
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
Get your Personal Pay Report for Paralegals and Legal Assistants
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
Your free market check includes an estimated percentile and pay gap when you enter your salary. The paid report adds a PDF, negotiation targets and script, and a five-year market-pay illustration. See a full sample report
How much does a Paralegals and Legal Assistants make?
The median market pay for a Paralegals and Legal Assistants in the United States is about $72,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Paralegals and Legal Assistants?
Most Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay falls between about $52,000 (25th percentile) and $83,000 (75th percentile), with top earners above $105,000.
What does a Paralegals and Legal Assistants do?
Core responsibilities include: prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system; and prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.
Is pay for Paralegals and Legal Assistants roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $52,920 in 2020 to $62,890 in 2025, a change of +18.8% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Paralegals and Legal Assistants pays 53% below the average across 1,680 roles in the Legal job family (family average $154,000).
Need Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
