The highest-paying states for paralegals and legal assistants (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of paralegals and legal assistants in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $87,610, District of Columbia is the highest paying state for paralegals and legal assistants. It is followed by California (average annual salary $69,790). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of paralegals and legal assistants in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $87,610 |
$56,780 | 5,580 |
| 2 | California | $69,790 |
$46,730 | 37,270 |
| 3 | Washington | $69,260 |
$47,960 | 8,020 |
| 4 | Colorado | $65,010 |
$45,510 | 5,750 |
| 5 | Oregon | $63,980 |
$46,090 | 4,790 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $63,490 |
$46,350 | 4,860 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $63,360 |
$40,760 | 7,490 |
| 8 | New York | $62,730 |
$45,720 | 30,020 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $62,080 |
$39,460 | 11,390 |
| 10 | Alaska | $61,490 |
$43,110 | 740 |
| 11 | Nevada | $61,180 |
$41,600 | 3,190 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $61,040 |
$38,650 | 9,580 |
| 13 | Vermont | $60,560 |
$48,020 | 640 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $60,380 |
$39,790 | 6,140 |
| 15 | Illinois | $60,370 |
$38,060 | 12,370 |
| 16 | Delaware | $59,660 |
$41,350 | 1,760 |
| 17 | Virginia | $59,500 |
$35,530 | 10,470 |
| 18 | Arizona | $59,050 |
$35,310 | 7,110 |
| 19 | Michigan | $58,780 |
$38,500 | 7,440 |
| 20 | Maryland | $58,760 |
$39,250 | 7,040 |
| 21 | Hawaii | $58,630 |
$42,270 | 1,150 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $58,490 |
$36,840 | 1,320 |
| 23 | Texas | $56,310 |
$36,300 | 24,600 |
| 24 | Missouri | $55,410 |
$36,920 | 5,930 |
| 25 | Montana | $55,270 |
$41,900 | 1,320 |
| 26 | Maine | $54,710 |
$46,550 | 940 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $54,100 |
$44,300 | 500 |
| 28 | Utah | $52,820 |
$35,660 | 4,080 |
| 29 | Virgin Islands | $52,670 |
$43,880 | 70 |
| 30 | Iowa | $52,660 |
$38,260 | 2,570 |
| 31 | Florida | $52,190 |
$37,370 | 36,060 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $52,000 |
$36,110 | 400 |
| 33 | Georgia | $51,420 |
$29,820 | 12,510 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $51,340 |
$35,920 | 12,290 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $50,960 |
$37,890 | 1,310 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $50,610 |
$38,880 | 1,720 |
| 37 | Ohio | $50,580 |
$36,700 | 8,200 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $50,310 |
$35,380 | 5,250 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $49,970 |
$37,460 | 4,840 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $48,810 |
$35,620 | 2,800 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $48,740 |
$39,360 | 580 |
| 42 | Alabama | $48,620 |
$31,200 | 3,770 |
| 43 | Idaho | $48,500 |
$27,100 | 1,500 |
| 44 | Kansas | $48,490 |
$34,710 | 2,680 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $48,490 |
$34,080 | 2,840 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $48,420 |
$34,330 | 4,740 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $48,320 |
$37,660 | 1,850 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $48,190 |
$37,300 | 6,150 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $47,990 |
$28,760 | 1,990 |
| 50 | Indiana | $47,710 |
$34,820 | 5,590 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $43,590 |
$31,990 | 1,950 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $40,760 |
$30,560 | 710 |
| 53 | Guam | $36,980 |
$29,450 | 80 |
| 54 | Arkansas | $36,820 |
$28,510 | 2,160 |