The median annual wage for paralegals and legal assistants was $48,810 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,670, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $79,010.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for paralegals and legal assistants in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Federal government
$63,720
Finance and insurance
58,940
Local government, excluding education and hospitals
48,300
Legal services
46,790
State government, excluding education and hospitals
45,810
Most paralegals and legal assistants work full time. Some may have to work more than 40 hours per week in order to meet deadlines.
Paralegals and Legal Assistants
Median annual wages, May 2015
Legal occupations
$78,170
Paralegals and legal assistants
$48,810
Total, all occupations
$36,200
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics