Paralegals
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Paralegals in the United States earn a median salary of $62,890 per year — about $30 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 376K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of 0%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core duties of this occupation—legal research, document drafting, and information organization—are fundamentally digital and align perfectly with the strengths of Large Language Models. While some interpersonal and courtroom logistics remain, AI can already automate or significantly accelerate the vast majority of a paralegal's workload, leading to the BLS's projection of 0% job growth despite high demand for legal services.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CABEST VALUE | $99,250 | Above avg (110.4) | $89,882 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | $76,400 | Below avg (87.1) | $87,750 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92,900 | Above avg (111.1) | $83,594 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $80,500 | Above avg (105.8) | $76,100 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $81,590 | Above avg (108.9) | $74,933 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $80,930 | Above avg (108.8) | $74,386 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $79,850 | Above avg (108.3) | $73,754 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $78,550 | Above avg (106.7) | $73,638 |
| Vallejo, CA | $79,280 | Above avg (108.5) | $73,083 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $76,220 | Above avg (104.8) | $72,714 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $84,030 | Above avg (115.6) | $72,682 |
| Iowa City, IA | $66,400 | Below avg (91.5) | $72,561 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $78,160 | Above avg (107.8) | $72,515 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $75,230 | Above avg (103.9) | $72,438 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $75,430 | Above avg (105.4) | $71,551 |