U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment Statistics
PRINT:Print
OES OES Program Links

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

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 and Administrative Assistants” (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)
329,870 1.1 % $26.45 $55,020 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.46 $18.99 $24.87 $31.54 $39.66
Annual Wage (2) $32,160 $39,500 $51,740 $65,610 $82,500

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 254,830 22.24 $25.44 $52,910
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 14,640 0.26 $26.54 $55,210
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 13,540 0.67 $33.67 $70,040
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 10,140 0.47 $23.54 $48,970
Management of Companies and Enterprises 7,010 0.28 $34.25 $71,250

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Legal Services 254,830 22.24 $25.44 $52,910
Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) 180 0.81 $30.68 $63,810
Other Investment Pools and Funds 70 0.76 $28.61 $59,500
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 13,540 0.67 $33.67 $70,040
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 10,140 0.47 $23.54 $48,970

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Grantmaking and Giving Services 100 0.07 $43.80 $91,110
Natural Gas Distribution 80 0.07 $40.36 $83,950
Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Parts and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 30 0.01 $39.68 $82,540
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 130 0.04 $39.38 $81,910
Other Information Services 220 0.07 $38.26 $79,580

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 35,040 2.02 0.90 $29.72 $61,810
Florida 30,850 3.51 1.56 $24.58 $51,130
New York 29,310 3.08 1.37 $27.92 $58,070
Texas 27,040 2.18 0.97 $26.17 $54,430
Illinois 13,980 2.32 1.03 $28.83 $59,960




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 5,810 8.02 3.57 $39.43 $82,010
Florida 30,850 3.51 1.56 $24.58 $51,130
Connecticut 5,160 3.10 1.38 $28.96 $60,240
New York 29,310 3.08 1.37 $27.92 $58,070
Delaware 1,350 2.99 1.33 $27.47 $57,140




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 5,810 8.02 3.57 $39.43 $82,010
Colorado 5,290 1.97 0.88 $29.93 $62,250
California 35,040 2.02 0.90 $29.72 $61,810
Massachusetts 6,840 1.89 0.84 $29.64 $61,650
Washington 6,880 2.07 0.92 $29.25 $60,840





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 29,030 3.01 1.34 $29.05 $60,430
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 16,870 2.70 1.20 $27.39 $56,960
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 12,550 3.95 1.76 $33.67 $70,030
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 12,180 2.60 1.16 $29.18 $60,690
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 12,030 4.55 2.03 $27.19 $56,560
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 9,210 3.20 1.43 $27.95 $58,130
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 8,460 3.08 1.37 $27.19 $56,560
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 7,940 2.17 0.97 $30.14 $62,690
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 5,810 2.35 1.05 $34.31 $71,360
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 5,780 2.73 1.21 $25.30 $52,620