Paralegals and Legal Assistants: salary, outlook & degrees
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.
Middle half $50,340–$80,080. 392,880 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
63% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $54,824.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 40,800 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Medium preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science And Government | 13% | Political Science |
| Criminal Justice And Fire Protection | 10% | Criminal Justice · Security / Homeland Security |
| Psychology | 6% | Psychology |
| English Language And Literature | 6% | English |
| Business Management And Administration | 5% | Business Administration |
| Pre-Law And Legal Studies | 4% | Legal Studies / Paralegal · Legal Support Services |
| History | 4% | History |
| Sociology | 3% | Sociology |
| Communications | 2% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Criminology | 2% | Criminology |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $89,750 |
| Washington | $79,400 |
| Colorado | $78,190 |
| Massachusetts | $77,640 |
| California | $77,390 |
| Minnesota | $75,570 |
| New Jersey | $71,500 |
| Alaska | $68,700 |
| New York | $68,410 |
| Vermont | $67,160 |
| Maryland | $65,640 |
| Nevada | $64,680 |
| Virginia | $63,990 |
| Connecticut | $63,820 |
| Illinois | $63,670 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,370 |
| Nebraska | $63,250 |
| Utah | $63,220 |
| Delaware | $63,110 |
| Hawaii | $62,840 |
| Maine | $62,420 |
| Georgia | $62,400 |
| Texas | $62,310 |
| Michigan | $62,170 |
| New Hampshire | $62,040 |
| Arizona | $61,630 |
| Oregon | $61,490 |
| Missouri | $61,410 |
| Florida | $61,000 |
| Ohio | $60,420 |
| Louisiana | $60,250 |
| New Mexico | $59,840 |
| Kentucky | $59,830 |
| North Dakota | $59,430 |
| West Virginia | $59,000 |
| Tennessee | $58,820 |
| Wisconsin | $58,500 |
| South Dakota | $58,320 |
| North Carolina | $57,500 |
| Montana | $57,290 |
| Indiana | $57,030 |
| Rhode Island | $56,250 |
| Kansas | $55,000 |
| Iowa | $54,550 |
| South Carolina | $53,880 |
| Oklahoma | $53,170 |
| VI | $52,140 |
| Idaho | $49,690 |
| Wyoming | $49,490 |
| Arkansas | $47,420 |
| Alabama | $47,260 |
| Mississippi | $46,180 |
| PR | $38,770 |
| GU | $37,920 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$62,090
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$60,150
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$59,470
- Jacksonville$62,480
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$60,070
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$60,700
- Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent$56,140
- Tallahassee$56,660
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$81,590
- Richmond$62,940
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$59,790
- Roanoke$60,060
- Kingsport-Bristol$54,210
- Charlottesville$59,740
- Lynchburg$50,660
- Harrisonburg$50,870
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$77,520
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$84,030
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$76,300
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$78,550
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$61,460
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$99,250
- Fresno$62,450
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$74,780
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- Law and Government
- English Language
- Administrative
- Computers and Electronics
- Customer and Personal Service
Work styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Intellectual Curiosity
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Investigative (analytical), Enterprising (leading) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Paralegals and Legal Assistants: questions
How much do paralegals and Legal Assistants make?
Paralegals and Legal Assistants earn a U.S. median $62,890 a year; the middle half earn $50,340 to $80,080 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $50,762 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is paralegals and Legal Assistants a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 0.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,800 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a paralegals and Legal Assistant?
BLS lists the typical entry education as associate's degree. In O*NET's survey, 56% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is political Science And Government (13%).
How much do paralegals and Legal Assistants make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $61,000 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $62,890 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 23-2011. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Paralegals and Legal Assistants: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/paralegals-and-legal-assistants.