The annual salary statistics of paralegals and legal assistants in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, North Carolina is shown in Table 1. The wage statistics of paralegals and legal assistants in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton is 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 | $36,200 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $36,430 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $42,640 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $52,350 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $62,400 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for paralegals and legal assistants in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, North Carolina in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $62,400. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $42,640. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent earners is $36,200.
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 | $42,640 | 9.80% | 16.51% |
| 2021 | $38,460 | -5.90% | - |
| 2020 | $40,730 | 12.52% | - |
| 2019 | $35,630 | 1.96% | - |
| 2018 | $34,930 | -4.52% | - |
| 2017 | $36,510 | -8.49% | - |
| 2016 | $39,610 | 7.45% | - |
| 2015 | $36,660 | 4.01% | - |
| 2014 | $35,190 | -2.73% | - |
| 2013 | $36,150 | 1.52% | - |
| 2012 | $35,600 | - | - |
From Table 3 we note that the median annual salary of $42,640 in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton is in the middle of salary range for paralegals and legal assistants in state of North Carolina. In comparison, the annual salary of paralegals and legal assistants in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton is 25.7 percent (25.7%) lower than that in the highest paying Asheville and 10.9 percent (10.9%) higher than that in the lowest paying Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area.