Pay by state · 54 states
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 Guam at $37,920 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $62,890. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $89,750District of Columbia
- National median
- $62,890BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $37,920Guam
- States reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
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, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $89,750, while District of Columbia leads 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?
Guam reports the lowest median for Paralegals and Legal Assistants at $37,920 a year, $51,830 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Paralegals and Legal Assistants earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts District of Columbia first at $81,664 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $89,750. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.