How much does a Paralegal make?
Experience
- All years of Experience
- 0-1 Years
- 1-3 Years
- 4-6 Years
- 7-9 Years
- 10-14 Years
- 15+ Years
Industry
- All industries
- Legal
- Aerospace & Defense
- Agriculture
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- Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology
- Management & Consulting
- Construction, Repair & Maintenance Services
- Personal Consumer Services
- Education
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- Government & Public Administration
- Healthcare
- Information Technology
- Insurance
- Manufacturing
- Media & Communication
- Nonprofit & NGO
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- Real Estate
- Restaurants & Food Service
- Retail & Wholesale
- Telecommunications
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- Human Resources & Staffing
$63K
/yrThe estimated total pay for a Paralegal is $63,399 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $59,697 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated additional pay is $3,702 per year. Additional pay could include cash bonus, commission, tips, and profit sharing. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.
How accurate is this most likely Total Pay range (base + additional) of $52K-$78K/yr?
For Paralegal
Download as data table
What is the total pay trajectory for Paralegal?
| Job Title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Paralegal | $63,399 /yr |
| Senior Paralegal | $97,721 /yr |
| Lead Paralegal | $67,848 /yr |
Top Paying Companies
For a Paralegal in United States
Below is the total pay for the top 10 highest paying companies for a Paralegal in United States. Employers include Google, Meta and Microsoft.
Top Paying Companies
For Paralegal in United States
| 1 | $165,676 | ||
| 2 | Meta | $157,333 | |
| 3 | Microsoft | $143,385 | |
| 4 | Apple | $135,209 | |
| 5 | PlayStation | $123,649 | |
| 6 | Pacific Gas and Electric | $115,672 | |
| 7 | ExxonMobil | $107,047 | |
| 8 | AbbVie | $103,618 | |
| 9 | Amazon | $102,137 | |
| 10 | Salesforce | $101,016 |
For Paralegal
Download as data table
What is the total pay trajectory for Paralegal?
| Job Title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Paralegal | $63,399 /yr |
| Senior Paralegal | $97,721 /yr |
| Lead Paralegal | $67,848 /yr |
What are total pay estimates for a Paralegal at different companies?
- Popular
- Most Reports
- Salary: high to low
- Salary: low to high
$54,451
/ yr
$54,680
/ yr
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$26
/ hr
$56,217
/ yr
$62,100
/ yr
$60,771
/ yr
Paralegal Salaries
Top Paying Industries
For a Paralegal in United States
The top 5 paying industries for a Paralegal in United States are Energy, Mining & Utilities with a median total pay of $111,359, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology with a median total pay of $89,775, Information Technology with a median total pay of $85,441, Manufacturing with a median total pay of $80,725, and Telecommunications with a median total pay of $73,275.
Energy, Mining & Utilities
Top paying companies in Energy, Mining & Utilities for Paralegal are Pacific Gas and Electric and ExxonMobil.
Glassdoor Economist Pay Overview
What is the pay outlook for Legal?
The legal field is expected to see continued demand to meet increased regulatory and tax compliance needs in the future. Employees will increasingly work with artificial intelligence and automated services, with workers shifting towards advisory roles rather than document review. Companies are expected to shift more work to in-house legal staff and away from law firm partnerships due to the high cost of outside counsel. Most work in the field requires higher education and offers above-median pay.
Paralegal pay FAQ
The average salary for a Paralegal is $63,399 per year in United States. Salaries estimates are based on 28826 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Paralegal employees in United States.
The highest salary for a Paralegal in United States is $77,604 per year.
The lowest salary for a Paralegal in United States is $51,984 per year.
If you are thinking of becoming a Paralegal or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajectory of a Paralegal.
Paralegals enjoy compensation exceeding that of other legal support workers such as legal secretaries, record clerks and administrative assistants. While their role offers the opportunity to conduct many of the same tasks as lawyers, including legal research and interviewing witnesses, their pay is lower due to their lower barries to entry.
Powered by Glassdoor Economic Research
Paralegals have a salary satisfaction rate of 67%, based on Glassdoor's anonymous employee ratings. Many people in this position earn additional pay of about $3,701.87 in the form of profit-sharing, bonuses, and other financial incentives. Paralegals can earn more by qualifying as senior or lead paralegals.
Paralegal compensation ranges from $43,506.02 to $92,939.44, where the maximum is often paid to those who have significant experience in this role. You can earn above the average paralegal salary of $59,696.68 with jobs in the federal government and in the finance and insurance industries. If you have an associate's degree in paralegal studies, a bachelor's degree can increase your salary during your career.
In addition to a bachelor's degree, continuing education programs can improve your salary as a paralegal. You can earn certification as a senior paralegal, court presentation supervisor, paralegal supervisor, or appeals specialist. Many paralegals also decide to go to law school and start their career as junior associates. High-paying practice areas for paralegals include intellectual property, employment and labor law, medicine, corporate and business law, international law, and personal injury. You can pursue further studies in these areas to qualify for relevant roles at local practices. You can also work as a freelance paralegal and earn money from multiple clients.
Negotiating a higher paralegal salary requires an understanding of the average earnings for this job in your geographic area and practice area. Once you've researched this number, adjust to account for your years of experience, special skills and certifications, and other relevant qualifications to reach your goal salary. Don't forget to increase your requested amount by 10% to 20% to give yourself room to negotiate. When you search for paralegal jobs, show off your career highlights in your application and interview so you make the best possible impression, putting the right foot forward for negotiations.