Paralegals Salaries, Locations, and Schools

Employment Overview

Paralegals in the US number about 238,000. Workers generally expect a very low unemployment rate. There were about 3% of employees without jobs in 2006.

Flexibility

About 2% of paralegals do not work for a company or organization. Whether by choice or necessity, 11% of workers work part-time.

Education

Obtaining an associate degree will help job seekers. Paralegals with four or more years of college are 45% of the total. An estimated 43% of workers attended college at some level but did not pursue a 4-year degree. High school was enough education for 13% of employees.

Local Outlook

Where are jobs most numerous? Charleston (West Virginia), Washington (District of Columbia), and Tallahassee (Florida). Least common? Flint (Michigan), Elkhart (Indiana), and Provo (Utah). Salaries vary across the country, from highest in San Jose (California), Stockton (California), and San Francisco (California) to lowest in Anniston (Alabama), St. Joseph (Missouri), and Cheyenne (Wyoming).

Detailed local employment conditions for Paralegals in metro areas across the US are shown in the table below.

Local Jobs Info for Paralegals

Employment info for Paralegals, by metropolitan area (for 2006). A Market Strength rating of 1.0 means the city (and surroundings) has an average number of workers in the occupation for to its population. A higher number indicates relatively more workers for the occupation in that location.

State	City and Surroundings	Market Strength	Workers	Median Wage
Alabama	Anniston	0.48	40	$30,000
Alabama	Birmingham	1.15	1,160	$45,000
Alabama	Dothan	0.87	100	$31,000
Alabama	Mobile	0.87	290	$41,000
Alabama	Montgomery	0.98	310	$39,000
Alaska	Anchorage	1.25	370	$55,000
Alaska	Fairbanks	0.97	50	$50,000
Arizona	Phoenix	0.98	3,700	$50,000
Arizona	Tucson	0.76	550	$48,000
Arizona	Yuma	0.47	50	$38,000
Arkansas	Fayetteville	0.43	160	$34,000
Arkansas	Jonesboro	0.37	30	$31,000
Arkansas	Little Rock	1.25	800	$46,000
California	Bakersfield	0.3	150	$53,000
California	El Centro	0.47	40	$37,000
California	Fresno	0.61	390	$47,000
California	Los Angeles	0.98	8,110	$54,000
California	Modesto	0.81	250	$47,000
California	Napa	0.73	80	$47,000
California	Oakland	0.7	1,410	$57,000
California	Oxnard	0.71	420	$54,000
California	Riverside	0.46	1,200	$49,000
California	Sacramento	0.72	1,270	$47,000
California	Salinas	0.81	230	$51,000
California	San Diego	0.8	2,100	$54,000
California	San Francisco	1.67	3,210	$61,000
California	San Jose	0.77	1,380	$64,000
California	Santa Ana	0.75	2,280	$57,000
California	Santa Barbara	0.77	240	$46,000
California	Santa Cruz	0.51	80	$53,000
California	Stockton	0.33	130	$66,000
California	Vallejo	0.48	110	$53,000
California	Visalia	0.83	210	$34,000
Colorado	Boulder	0.99	290	$45,000
Colorado	Colorado Springs	0.68	330	$42,000
Colorado	Denver	1.43	3,490	$48,000
Colorado	Grand Junction	0.8	80	$41,000
Colorado	Greeley	0.6	80	$41,000
Connecticut	Bridgeport	1.35	1,150	$51,000
Connecticut	Danbury	0.49	60	$55,000
Connecticut	Hartford	1.6	1,780	$49,000
Connecticut	New Haven	1.49	790	$44,000
Connecticut	Norwich	1.02	230	$44,000
Connecticut	Waterbury	1.62	200	$42,000
Delaware	Dover	0.92	90	$42,000
Delaware	Wilmington	1.69	1,070	$52,000
District of Columbia	Washington	2.28	10,460	$56,000
Florida	Cape Coral	0.64	260	$45,000
Florida	Deltona	1.98	590	$37,000
Florida	Fort Lauderdale	1.65	2,430	$46,000
Florida	Gainesville	0.74	150	$36,000
Florida	Jacksonville	1.04	1,240	$40,000
Florida	Lakeland	0.9	340	$41,000
Florida	Miami	1.67	3,280	$45,000
Florida	Naples	0.84	200	$48,000
Florida	Ocala	1.48	260	$38,000
Florida	Orlando	0.95	2,000	$45,000
Florida	Palm Bay	1.09	410	$35,000
Florida	Panama City	1.38	170	$36,000
Florida	Pensacola	1.44	420	$34,000
Florida	Port St Lucie	0.98	240	$45,000
Florida	Sarasota	1.36	740	$45,000
Florida	Sebastian	1.22	100	$32,000
Florida	Tallahassee	2.27	700	$38,000
Florida	Tampa	1.12	2,770	$46,000
Florida	West Palm Beach	1.79	1,980	$47,000
Georgia	Albany	0.68	70	$35,000
Georgia	Athens	0.38	50	$39,000
Georgia	Atlanta	1.06	5,040	$50,000
Georgia	Columbus	0.59	120	$36,000
Georgia	Dalton	0.29	40	$42,000
Georgia	Gainesville	0.53	60	$43,000
Georgia	Savannah	0.95	270	$43,000
Georgia	Valdosta	0.71	60	$43,000
Hawaii	Honolulu	1.07	880	$46,000
Idaho	Boise	0.7	360	$47,000
Illinois	Bloomington	1.04	120	$47,000
Illinois	Chicago	0.83	6,290	$54,000
Illinois	Peoria	0.49	150	$49,000
Illinois	Springfield	1.56	290	$35,000
Indiana	Bloomington	0.49	60	$30,000
Indiana	Columbus	0.87	60	$32,000
Indiana	Elkhart	0.21	50	$32,000
Indiana	Evansville	0.37	120	$40,000
Indiana	Fort Wayne	0.64	260	$40,000
Indiana	Gary	0.54	290	$35,000
Indiana	Indianapolis	0.79	1,380	$44,000
Indiana	Kokomo	0.66	50	$39,000
Indiana	Lafayette	0.45	60	$39,000
Indiana	Muncie	0.49	40	$33,000
Indiana	South Bend	0.78	200	$37,000
Iowa	Cedar Rapids	0.72	180	$39,000
Iowa	Davenport	0.74	250	$41,000
Iowa	Des Moines	0.76	470	$49,000
Iowa	Dubuque	0.44	40	$34,000
Kansas	Lawrence	0.69	50	$37,000
Kansas	Topeka	1.02	200	$38,000
Kansas	Wichita	0.61	350	$37,000
Kentucky	Bowling Green	1.67	160	$32,000
Kentucky	Elizabethtown	0.55	40	$44,000
Kentucky	Lexington	1.03	480	$39,000
Kentucky	Louisville	0.84	1,000	$37,000
Louisiana	Alexandria	1.58	160	$36,000
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	0.68	470	$37,000
Louisiana	Lafayette	1.66	420	$38,000
Louisiana	Lake Charles	1.09	170	$39,000
Louisiana	Monroe	1.1	150	$33,000
Louisiana	New Orleans	1.51	1,470	$41,000
Louisiana	Shreveport	0.64	200	$38,000
Maine	Bangor	1.34	150	$33,000
Maine	Lewiston	0.72	60	$43,000
Maine	Portland	1.67	620	$44,000
Maryland	Baltimore	1.45	3,670	$49,000
Maryland	Bethesda	1.03	1,130	$48,000
Maryland	Cumberland	0.51	30	$33,000
Maryland	Hagerstown	1.32	240	$42,000
Massachusetts	Barnstable Town	0.83	150	$44,000
Massachusetts	Boston	1.55	5,200	$55,000
Massachusetts	Framingham	0.85	250	$43,000
Massachusetts	Haverhill	1.08	150	$43,000
Massachusetts	Lawrence	0.88	90	$50,000
Massachusetts	Lowell	0.97	210	$49,000
Massachusetts	Lynn	1.98	360	$40,000
Massachusetts	Pittsfield	0.84	50	$39,000
Massachusetts	Springfield	1.07	620	$44,000
Massachusetts	Taunton	1.13	90	$44,000
Massachusetts	Worcester	0.85	410	$46,000
Michigan	Ann Arbor	0.72	230	$53,000
Michigan	Bay City	0.54	30	$46,000
Michigan	Detroit	0.64	930	$54,000
Michigan	Flint	0.23	60	$54,000
Michigan	Grand Rapids	0.72	530	$51,000
Michigan	Kalamazoo	0.57	150	$44,000
Michigan	Lansing	0.85	320	$46,000
Michigan	Muskegon	1.11	120	$42,000
Michigan	Saginaw	0.76	110	$39,000
Michigan	Warren	0.69	1,600	$48,000
Minnesota	Duluth	0.56	130	$36,000
Minnesota	Minneapolis	0.9	3,200	$50,000
Minnesota	Rochester	0.74	110	$38,000
Minnesota	St Cloud	0.84	150	$48,000
Mississippi	Gulfport	0.37	70	$41,000
Mississippi	Jackson	1.71	820	$38,000
Mississippi	Pascagoula	0.82	60	$34,000
Missouri	Kansas City	1.27	2,540	$45,000
Missouri	Springfield	1.26	460	$34,000
Missouri	St Joseph	0.98	80	$28,000
Missouri	St Louis	0.81	2,160	$42,000
Montana	Billings	0.76	110	$42,000
Montana	Great Falls	1.07	60	$35,000
Nebraska	Lincoln	0.82	240	$36,000
Nebraska	Omaha	0.61	540	$41,000
Nevada	Carson City	0.64	30	$48,000
Nevada	Las Vegas	0.72	1,320	$46,000
Nevada	Reno	0.83	340	$52,000
New Hampshire	Manchester	1.33	240	$43,000
New Hampshire	Nashua	0.43	110	$44,000
New Jersey	Atlantic City	0.66	170	$49,000
New Jersey	Camden	0.84	880	$53,000
New Jersey	Edison	0.67	1,340	$48,000
New Jersey	Newark	1.04	2,050	$52,000
New Jersey	Trenton	0.92	380	$50,000
New Jersey	Vineland	0.8	80	$41,000
New Mexico	Albuquerque	1.11	830	$37,000
New Mexico	Farmington	1.48	130	$33,000
New Mexico	Santa Fe	1.94	180	$46,000
New York	Albany	1.59	1,340	$43,000
New York	Binghamton	0.65	130	$48,000
New York	Buffalo	1.09	1,130	$45,000
New York	Elmira	0.64	40	$41,000
New York	Glens Falls	0.35	30	$43,000
New York	Nassau	1.34	3,280	$53,000
New York	New York	2.06	20,480	$58,000
New York	Poughkeepsie	0.92	420	$52,000
New York	Rochester	1.04	1,010	$44,000
New York	Syracuse	1	580	$48,000
New York	Utica	0.6	140	$37,000
North Carolina	Asheville	1.68	560	$35,000
North Carolina	Charlotte	1.15	1,960	$40,000
North Carolina	Durham	0.95	480	$40,000
North Carolina	Fayetteville	1.47	320	$38,000
North Carolina	Goldsboro	1.2	80	$33,000
North Carolina	Greensboro	0.49	350	$41,000
North Carolina	Greenville	1.22	150	$30,000
North Carolina	Hickory	0.42	130	$31,000
North Carolina	Jacksonville	0.92	60	$29,000
North Carolina	Raleigh	1.45	1,420	$43,000
North Carolina	Wilmington	1.36	360	$34,000
North Carolina	Winston Salem	1.78	730	$37,000
North Dakota	Bismarck	0.63	60	$42,000
North Dakota	Fargo	0.43	90	$42,000
North Dakota	Grand Forks	1.18	100	$32,000
Ohio	Akron	0.72	470	$37,000
Ohio	Canton	0.44	140	$40,000
Ohio	Cincinnati	0.8	1,620	$41,000
Ohio	Cleveland	0.95	2,000	$47,000
Ohio	Columbus	0.75	1,350	$45,000
Ohio	Dayton	0.42	320	$49,000
Ohio	Lima	0.54	50	$42,000
Ohio	Springfield	0.48	40	$39,000
Ohio	Toledo	0.85	530	$42,000
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	1.26	1,390	$46,000
Oklahoma	Tulsa	0.72	590	$38,000
Oregon	Eugene	1.01	280	$41,000
Oregon	Medford	0.53	80	$33,000
Oregon	Portland	0.84	1,710	$45,000
Oregon	Salem	0.69	190	$38,000
Pennsylvania	Allentown	0.53	340	$50,000
Pennsylvania	Harrisburg	0.91	520	$43,000
Pennsylvania	Johnstown	0.4	40	$44,000
Pennsylvania	Lancaster	0.45	200	$45,000
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	1.27	4,660	$48,000
Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh	0.89	2,000	$41,000
Pennsylvania	Reading	0.65	200	$46,000
Pennsylvania	Scranton	0.68	340	$33,000
Pennsylvania	State College	0.58	60	$42,000
Pennsylvania	Williamsport	0.47	40	$37,000
Pennsylvania	York	0.51	170	$36,000
Rhode Island	Providence	0.85	970	$46,000
South Carolina	Anderson	0.88	90	$28,000
South Carolina	Charleston	1.82	1,010	$41,000
South Carolina	Columbia	1.57	1,050	$40,000
South Carolina	Greenville	0.94	550	$45,000
South Carolina	Spartanburg	0.75	170	$36,000
South Carolina	Sumter	1.58	90	$28,000
South Dakota	Rapid City	1.22	130	$42,000
South Dakota	Sioux Falls	0.4	100	$41,000
Tennessee	Chattanooga	1.44	610	$36,000
Tennessee	Clarksville	0.29	40	$31,000
Tennessee	Cleveland	0.96	60	$41,000
Tennessee	Jackson	1.4	130	$35,000
Tennessee	Kingsport	1.16	240	$38,000
Tennessee	Knoxville	0.74	470	$42,000
Tennessee	Memphis	0.53	650	$44,000
Tennessee	Nashville	0.72	1,070	$42,000
Texas	Amarillo	0.95	170	$40,000
Texas	Austin	1.11	1,620	$51,000
Texas	Beaumont	0.89	260	$38,000
Texas	College Station	0.72	100	$39,000
Texas	Corpus Christi	1.27	410	$37,000
Texas	Dallas	1.14	4,640	$55,000
Texas	El Paso	0.65	320	$42,000
Texas	Fort Worth	0.71	1,150	$49,000
Texas	Houston	0.98	4,870	$53,000
Texas	Longview	1.22	200	$43,000
Texas	Lubbock	0.33	70	$39,000
Texas	Mcallen	0.63	250	$36,000
Texas	Midland	0.93	100	$50,000
Texas	San Antonio	0.92	1,470	$39,000
Texas	Sherman	0.75	50	$42,000
Texas	Texarkana	0.83	70	$40,000
Texas	Tyler	1.6	260	$39,000
Texas	Victoria	0.38	30	$38,000
Texas	Waco	1.15	200	$38,000
Utah	Provo	0.19	60	$48,000
Utah	Salt Lake City	0.66	780	$45,000
Vermont	Burlington	1.25	250	$49,000
Virginia	Blacksburg	1.14	110	$34,000
Virginia	Charlottesville	1.24	210	$37,000
Virginia	Richmond	1.36	1,610	$42,000
Virginia	Roanoke	0.61	180	$42,000
Virginia	Virginia Beach	0.93	1,380	$39,000
Washington	Bremerton	0.64	90	$42,000
Washington	Kennewick	0.39	60	$52,000
Washington	Olympia	0.7	120	$46,000
Washington	Seattle	0.95	2,680	$52,000
Washington	Spokane	0.84	330	$37,000
Washington	Tacoma	1.28	660	$41,000
Washington	Yakima	1.46	210	$34,000
West Virginia	Charleston	2.52	680	$37,000
West Virginia	Huntington	1.21	250	$35,000
West Virginia	Morgantown	1.04	90	$48,000
West Virginia	Parkersburg	1.65	200	$35,000
West Virginia	Weirton	0.44	30	$31,000
West Virginia	Wheeling	1.32	150	$40,000
Wisconsin	Appleton	0.52	110	$37,000
Wisconsin	Green Bay	0.78	240	$39,000
Wisconsin	La Crosse	0.64	80	$32,000
Wisconsin	Madison	0.98	620	$47,000
Wisconsin	Milwaukee	0.96	1,620	$50,000
Wisconsin	Oshkosh	0.68	100	$48,000
Wisconsin	Racine	0.66	90	$45,000
Wisconsin	Sheboygan	0.71	70	$34,000
Wyoming	Casper	1.82	110	$31,000
Wyoming	Cheyenne	1.97	130	$30,000