How much do paralegals make in 2026?
Paralegals earn a national median of $62,890 a year ($30.24 an hour) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 for SOC 23-2011, paralegals and legal assistants, with the bottom 10% near $44,740 and the top 10% at $101,500 across 392,880 workers. This is the exact code for the occupation, and it pools paralegals with legal assistants, which is fair since the titles are used interchangeably in much of the market. Employer type explains most of the spread. Large law firms and corporate legal departments pay at the top, because their paralegals handle substantive work — managing large document sets, coordinating closings, preparing filings and supervising junior staff — and because firm paralegals bill their time to clients, which makes them revenue-generating rather than overhead. Small firms and government offices pay considerably less for work that is often broader. Specialism matters as much as sector: corporate transactional, intellectual property prosecution, immigration and complex litigation paralegals earn above general practice ones because the procedural knowledge is deep and takes years to build. Certification helps but is not the main lever; substantive responsibility is. Employment is projected to grow just 0.2% through 2034 with roughly 39,300 openings a year, which is essentially flat and worth taking seriously. → Full paralegal career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $62,890 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Paralegals earn a national median $62,890/yr ($30.24/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 23-2011); the P10 to P90 range is $44,740 to $101,500.
- Employer type drives the spread: large firms and corporate legal departments pay at the top of the $44,740 to $101,500 band, and firm paralegals bill their time, which makes them revenue-generating.
- Specialism outpaces certification — corporate transactional, intellectual property prosecution, immigration and complex litigation paralegals earn above general practice.
- BLS projects essentially flat employment at 0.2% growth through 2034, so this is a replacement-hiring market rather than an expanding one.
US Paralegal Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do paralegals earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 23-2011; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 23-2011, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a paralegal earn at each career stage?
Paralegal pay follows substantive responsibility and specialism rather than years served. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 23-2011.
By State
Which states pay paralegals the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national paralegal median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. A handful of states regulate the use of the paralegal title or operate voluntary registration schemes, which raises the floor slightly without changing the employer-driven shape of the market.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($72,320), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
paralegal pay by state — all 31 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay paralegals the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. The best-paid paralegal roles sit where large firms and corporate legal departments are, which is a small number of metros in most states.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a paralegal’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does paralegal pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Paralegals sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify paralegal wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a paralegal actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Paralegal Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
Paralegal career research journey
Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.Get the job, then keep rising
FreeSet your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring paralegals?
Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Paralegal
Everything for paralegals in one place
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full paralegal cluster.