Subscribe
to the OES Update
|
Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018
23-2011 Paralegals and Legal Assistants
Assist lawyers by investigating facts, preparing legal documents, or researching legal precedent. Conduct research to support a legal proceeding, to formulate a defense, or to initiate legal action. Excludes "Legal Secretaries" (43-6012).
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 309,940 |
1.1 % |
$26.20 |
$54,500 |
0.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$15.10 |
$18.68 |
$24.49 |
$31.29 |
$39.45 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$31,400 |
$38,860 |
$50,940 |
$65,080 |
$82,050 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Legal Services |
238,040 |
20.92 |
$25.20 |
$52,410 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
13,930 |
0.25 |
$26.36 |
$54,820 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
12,900 |
0.64 |
$33.91 |
$70,540 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
10,340 |
0.47 |
$23.66 |
$49,220 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
6,520 |
0.27 |
$33.19 |
$69,040 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation: Top
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
33,390 |
1.96 |
0.92 |
$29.44 |
$61,240 |
| Florida |
30,230 |
3.51 |
1.64 |
$24.10 |
$50,120 |
| New York |
25,500 |
2.72 |
1.27 |
$28.25 |
$58,750 |
| Texas |
24,290 |
2.01 |
0.94 |
$27.05 |
$56,270 |
| Illinois |
13,540 |
2.26 |
1.06 |
$27.49 |
$57,180 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
5,330 |
7.48 |
3.49 |
$38.69 |
$80,470 |
| Florida |
30,230 |
3.51 |
1.64 |
$24.10 |
$50,120 |
| South Carolina |
6,060 |
2.94 |
1.37 |
$21.87 |
$45,480 |
| Connecticut |
4,780 |
2.88 |
1.34 |
$30.17 |
$62,760 |
| New York |
25,500 |
2.72 |
1.27 |
$28.25 |
$58,750 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
5,330 |
7.48 |
3.49 |
$38.69 |
$80,470 |
| Connecticut |
4,780 |
2.88 |
1.34 |
$30.17 |
$62,760 |
| California |
33,390 |
1.96 |
0.92 |
$29.44 |
$61,240 |
| Washington |
6,220 |
1.91 |
0.89 |
$29.30 |
$60,940 |
| Massachusetts |
7,330 |
2.05 |
0.96 |
$29.00 |
$60,320 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
26,250 |
2.76 |
1.29 |
$29.18 |
$60,700 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
15,960 |
2.61 |
1.22 |
$26.73 |
$55,590 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
13,100 |
5.06 |
2.36 |
$25.74 |
$53,540 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
11,680 |
2.52 |
1.18 |
$27.68 |
$57,570 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
11,540 |
3.68 |
1.72 |
$33.09 |
$68,820 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
8,820 |
3.09 |
1.45 |
$26.80 |
$55,740 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
7,290 |
2.72 |
1.27 |
$26.86 |
$55,870 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
7,280 |
2.04 |
0.95 |
$31.20 |
$64,900 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
6,160 |
2.06 |
0.96 |
$28.75 |
$59,800 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
6,040 |
2.19 |
1.02 |
$29.89 |
$62,170 |
|
