The average annual salaries for paralegals and legal assistants in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of paralegals and legal assistants among California cities is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile bracket | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $46,730 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $58,620 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $69,790 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $91,630 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $109,340 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for paralegals and legal assistants in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $109,340. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $69,790. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $46,730.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of paralegals and legal assistants from 2012 to 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 10-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $69,790 | 9.20% | 19.53% |
| 2021 | $63,370 | 2.92% | - |
| 2020 | $61,520 | 5.54% | - |
| 2019 | $58,110 | 1.41% | - |
| 2018 | $57,290 | -0.02% | - |
| 2017 | $57,300 | 0.61% | - |
| 2016 | $56,950 | 0.58% | - |
| 2015 | $56,620 | -1.13% | - |
| 2014 | $57,260 | 1.47% | - |
| 2013 | $56,420 | 0.46% | - |
| 2012 | $56,160 | - | - |
Table 3 shows the median annual salary of paralegals and legal assistants in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of paralegals and legal assistants in state of California ranges from $35,020 to $85,470. The highest paying area for paralegals and legal assistants in California is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara with a median annual salary of $85,470. The second highest paying city/area in California State is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (mean annual salary $79,790). The lowest paying area is Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $35,020.