Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
How Much Does a Junior Paralegal Make? (2026)
Junior or early-career paralegals earn approximately $55,984 per year as of 2026, based on the 25th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — the standard proxy for workers with 2–5 years of experience. Across U.S. metros, junior pay ranges from $41,720 (lowest-paying) to $75,718 (highest-paying).
This page answers a common U.S. wage question: How Much Does a Junior Paralegal Make? (2026). The answer draws on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — the federal survey that captures wages for over 800 occupations across every U.S. metropolitan area. Why BLS OEWS data is the right anchor: alternative wage sources (Glassdoor, levels.fyi, Payscale) are self-reported and skew toward specific roles, industries, or geographies. BLS OEWS is employer-reported, mandatory for businesses above the survey threshold, and uniformly applied across occupations and metros.
The detailed answer below uses the BLS numbers, explains how to read them, and translates the statistical detail into the worker-relevant interpretation of the question.
25th percentile across U.S. metros, employment-weighted
What This Pay Level Means
The 25th percentile is the BLS-published wage below which 25% of workers in this occupation earn. It is the standard anchor for "early-career" or "junior" pay — workers past the initial onboarding period but still building independent scope. The 25th percentile is the bottom of the typical negotiation band; if you have 2+ years and an offer is below this number, you have a clear data point for asking for more.
For workers in their first one-to-two years, the 10th percentile (entry-level band) is the right anchor. For mid-career workers with 5+ years, the median (50th percentile) becomes the benchmark. See "Entry-level paralegal salary" and "How much do paralegals make?" for those bands.
Top-Paying Metros at This Level
| Metro | Median Pay |
|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $75,718 |
| Seattle, WA | $72,752 |
| San Francisco, CA | $68,766 |
| Denver, CO | $68,554 |
| Washington, DC | $66,932 |
What the Numbers Tell You
Geographic pay spread for Paralegals is unusually wide — top metros pay roughly 2.1× what the lowest-paying metros pay, a $51,560 gap. Most of that variation tracks cost of living, regional industry concentration, and the depth of senior workers in each market.
Roughly 286,300 Paralegals are employed across the metros tracked here — a sizable mid-tier occupation with reliable percentile data.
More Paralegal Salary Answers
Each page answers a distinct pay question for this role — by experience band, hourly rate, and how the salary stacks up:
- Entry-level paralegal salary →
- How much do paralegals make →
- Senior paralegal salary →
- Top 10% paralegal salary →
- How much do paralegals make an hour →
- Is paralegal a good salary →
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wages come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — an annual survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments published by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code and Metropolitan Statistical Area. The figure on this page is employment-weighted across 70 BLS-tracked metros for SOC code 23-2011. The mapping from BLS percentiles to experience bands (entry / junior / mid / senior / top 10%) follows the convention used by the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system. See full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does a Junior Paralegal Make? (2026)?
Junior or early-career paralegals earn approximately $55,984 per year as of 2026, based on the 25th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — the standard proxy for workers with 2–5 years of experience. Across U.S. metros, junior pay ranges from $41,720 (lowest-paying) to $75,718 (highest-paying).
How does this percentile compare to the median?
Paralegals have a national median (50th percentile) of $64,170. The 25th percentile shown on this page ($55,984) is 13% below the median — typical for this experience band.
Where do paralegals at this level earn the most?
San Jose, CA pays the highest at this percentile band — $75,718. Lowest-paying tracked metro: Little Rock, AR at $41,720.
What years of experience does this percentile represent?
The 25th percentile is the BLS-published wage below which 25% of workers in this occupation earn. It is the standard anchor for "early-career" or "junior" pay — workers past the initial onboarding period but still building independent scope. The 25th percentile is the bottom of the typical negotiation band; if you have 2+ years and an offer is below this number, you have a clear data point for asking for more.
Where does this paralegal salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — an annual federal survey of more than 1 million U.S. employers. The percentile figure on this page is employment-weighted across BLS-tracked metros.
Junior or early-career paralegals earn approximately $55,984 per year as of 2026, based on the 25th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — the standard proxy for workers with 2–5 years of experience. Across U.S. metros, junior pay ranges from $41,720 (lowest-paying) to $75,718 (highest-paying).