Pay by state · 54 areas
Paralegal Salary by State (2026)
Paralegals and Legal Assistants earn the most in District of Columbia at $89,750 a year and the least in Mississippi at $46,180 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $62,890. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $89,750District of Columbia
- National median
- $62,890BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $46,180Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for paralegals and legal assistants
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$89,750
- 2Washington$79,400
- 3Colorado$78,190
- 4Massachusetts$77,640
- 5California$77,390
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$46,180
- 2Alabama$47,260
- 3Arkansas$47,420
- 4Wyoming$49,490
- 5Idaho$49,690
All states
Paralegal salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of paralegals and legal assistants OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $89,750 | $72,240 | $114,920 | 6,400 | $81,664 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $79,400 | $62,670 | $100,960 | 9,460 | $74,197 |
| 3 | COColorado | $78,190 | $62,560 | $95,070 | 5,620 | $75,874 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $77,640 | $62,580 | $96,820 | 7,800 | $73,414 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $77,390 | $60,170 | $98,430 | 47,130 | $69,897 |
| 6 | MNMinnesota | $75,570 | $56,230 | $83,420 | 7,400 | $76,627 |
| 7 | NJNew Jersey | $71,500 | $60,040 | $80,920 | 12,010 | $65,714 |
| 8 | AKAlaska | $68,700 | $61,100 | $84,880 | 570 | $67,117 |
| 9 | NYNew York | $68,410 | $57,430 | $94,200 | 34,220 | $63,389 |
| 10 | VTVermont | $67,160 | $58,530 | $78,620 | 660 | $68,560 |
| 11 | MDMaryland | $65,640 | $51,660 | $84,700 | 6,460 | $62,539 |
| 12 | NVNevada | $64,680 | $55,410 | $76,980 | 3,620 | $64,694 |
| 13 | VAVirginia | $63,990 | $56,050 | $81,590 | 10,250 | $63,291 |
| 14 | CTConnecticut | $63,820 | $50,180 | $80,580 | 5,210 | $61,596 |
| 15 | ILIllinois | $63,670 | $56,160 | $81,970 | 14,130 | $63,697 |
| 16 | PAPennsylvania | $63,370 | $50,710 | $78,980 | 14,670 | $64,947 |
| 17 | NENebraska | $63,250 | $49,390 | $73,940 | 1,630 | $70,197 |
| 18 | UTUtah | $63,220 | $48,790 | $80,160 | 3,250 | $63,946 |
| 19 | DEDelaware | $63,110 | $55,190 | $78,360 | 2,480 | $63,231 |
| 20 | HIHawaii | $62,840 | $52,670 | $75,120 | 1,170 | $57,153 |
| 21 | MEMaine | $62,420 | $57,840 | $71,500 | 1,210 | $64,317 |
| 22 | GAGeorgia | $62,400 | $48,940 | $81,120 | 14,160 | $64,802 |
| 23 | TXTexas | $62,310 | $47,410 | $77,740 | 29,540 | $64,199 |
| 24 | MIMichigan | $62,170 | $51,280 | $76,820 | 7,730 | $64,614 |
| 25 | NHNew Hampshire | $62,040 | $53,540 | $77,040 | 1,430 | $59,559 |
| 26 | AZArizona | $61,630 | $48,840 | $79,250 | 7,890 | $61,216 |
| 27 | OROregon | $61,490 | $55,490 | $80,950 | 4,870 | $59,491 |
| 28 | MOMissouri | $61,410 | $47,520 | $75,980 | 7,130 | $67,619 |
| 29 | FLFlorida | $61,000 | $48,230 | $75,780 | 40,950 | $58,986 |
| 30 | OHOhio | $60,420 | $49,500 | $77,360 | 9,270 | $65,126 |
| 31 | LALouisiana | $60,250 | $47,520 | $72,790 | 4,890 | $68,305 |
| 32 | NMNew Mexico | $59,840 | $48,130 | $72,520 | 1,740 | $64,894 |
| 33 | KYKentucky | $59,830 | $47,220 | $70,920 | 3,540 | $66,361 |
| 34 | NDNorth Dakota | $59,430 | $49,290 | $66,120 | 730 | $66,806 |
| 35 | WVWest Virginia | $59,000 | $41,410 | $78,360 | 1,660 | $65,924 |
| 36 | TNTennessee | $58,820 | $47,270 | $67,470 | 6,080 | $64,025 |
| 37 | WIWisconsin | $58,500 | $47,690 | $71,130 | 4,780 | $62,171 |
| 38 | SDSouth Dakota | $58,320 | $53,730 | $67,200 | 600 | $65,834 |
| 39 | NCNorth Carolina | $57,500 | $47,640 | $71,930 | 13,650 | $60,959 |
| 40 | MTMontana | $57,290 | $48,560 | $66,960 | 1,010 | $60,531 |
| 41 | INIndiana | $57,030 | $46,870 | $74,240 | 5,910 | $61,106 |
| 42 | RIRhode Island | $56,250 | $44,860 | $66,120 | 2,070 | $54,996 |
| 43 | KSKansas | $55,000 | $47,000 | $64,170 | 2,210 | $61,065 |
| 44 | IAIowa | $54,550 | $47,820 | $66,560 | 2,980 | $62,157 |
| 45 | SCSouth Carolina | $53,880 | $46,630 | $61,620 | 7,420 | $57,473 |
| 46 | OKOklahoma | $53,170 | $40,330 | $61,840 | 3,110 | $60,528 |
| 47 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $52,140 | $51,510 | $63,790 | 90 | N/A |
| 48 | IDIdaho | $49,690 | $43,990 | $62,540 | 2,030 | $52,035 |
| 49 | WYWyoming | $49,490 | $47,390 | $56,420 | 600 | $53,392 |
| 50 | ARArkansas | $47,420 | $43,670 | $61,880 | 1,610 | $54,545 |
| 51 | ALAlabama | $47,260 | $38,150 | $63,490 | 5,700 | $53,207 |
| 52 | MSMississippi | $46,180 | $36,900 | $58,790 | 2,270 | $53,109 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $38,770 | $35,780 | $47,150 | 1,110 | N/A |
| 54 | GUGuam | $37,920 | $30,700 | $51,380 | 110 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For paralegals and legal assistants, the adjustment does not change the leader: District of Columbia is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $81,664.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Paralegal pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays paralegals and legal assistants the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for paralegals and legal assistants at $89,750 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($79,400) and Colorado ($78,190).
Which state pays paralegals and legal assistants the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for paralegals and legal assistants at $46,180 a year, $43,570 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $52,140, Puerto Rico reports $38,770 and Guam reports $37,920.
Is the highest-paying state the best for paralegals and legal assistants after cost of living?
Yes. District of Columbia stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $81,664 in national-average dollars from a raw $89,750. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.