Paralegals and Legal Assistants Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 23-2011 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$61,006
$29.33/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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The national median salary for Paralegals and Legal Assistants is $61,006 per year ($29.33/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $48,194 and $78,270 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $98,987 per year. There are approximately 367,220 paralegals and legal assistants employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assist lawyers by investigating facts, preparing legal documents, or researching legal precedent. Conduct research to support a legal proceeding, to formulate a defense, or to initiate legal action.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.2%
Little or no change
Annual openings
39K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
376K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Associate's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Legal Services
NAICS 541100
282K
$59,800
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
18K
$60,990
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
17K
$77,940
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
11K
$56,280
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
7K
$87,490
Wage range across top 5 industries: $56,280 to $87,490 (55% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$19.09
$39,707
P25
$23.17
$48,194
P50MEDIAN
$29.33
$61,006
P75
$37.63
$78,270
P90
$47.59
$98,987
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average paralegals and legal assistants salary?
The national median salary for Paralegals and Legal Assistants is $61,006 per year ($29.33/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $48,194 and $78,270 annually.
How much do top-earning paralegals and legal assistants make?
The 90th percentile salary for Paralegals and Legal Assistants is $98,987 per year ($47.59/hr). The 75th percentile is $78,270 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for paralegals and legal assistants?
Entry-level Paralegals and Legal Assistants (10th percentile) earn approximately $39,707 per year ($19.09/hr). The 25th percentile is $48,194 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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