Paralegals and Legal Assistants Salary in Virginia
SOC 23-2011 · Virginia · BLS OEWS May 2025
Median Annual Salary
$64,002
$30.77/hr
1.8% higher than the US national median ($62,899)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Paralegals and Legal Assistants salary in Virginia in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$48K
P25$56K
P50$64K
P75$82K
P90$101K
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Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- professional & business services job openings are running at 5.5% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
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Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $64,002 to $81,598 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 3.1% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · HOT
Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.3 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 2.5% per year. Nationally, wages rose 3.2% while CPI hit 3.5%, so real wages turned negative.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The median salary for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Virginia is $64,002 per year ($30.77/hr). This is 1.8% higher than the national median of $62,899.
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.
Wage Percentiles: Virginia
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · National adjusted
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
vs National
P10Entry level
$23.01
$47,861
+7.0%
P25
$26.95
$56,056
+11.4%
P50MEDIAN
$30.77
$64,002
+1.8%
P75
$39.23
$81,598
+1.9%
P90Top earners
$48.34
$100,547
-0.9%
Get the full percentile report
P10–P90 breakdown, career outlook, industry wages, and JOLTS market signal for Paralegals and Legal Assistants
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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 2 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Legal Services
NAICS 541100
305K
$61,770
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
20K
$63,370
See the complete picture
Full percentile breakdown · JOLTS market signals · Geographic comparison · AI analyst briefs
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median paralegals and legal assistants salary in Virginia?
The median (P50) annual salary for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Virginia is approximately $64,002, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 1.8% higher than the national median of $62,899. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.
