Legal Assistant Salary By State: Highest-Paid Legal Assistants by State [2026]
Research Summary. After thorough analysis by the Zippia data science team, we present the latest insights on legal assistant salaries across the United States for 2026:
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California boasts the highest legal assistant salary at $52,000
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Oklahoma offers the lowest legal assistant salary at $34,000
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The national average salary for legal assistants is $45,000
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The national hourly wage for legal assistants is $21.63
For more details on our methodology, click here.
Background
Surveys consistently show that salary is the most important factor for job seekers, and legal assistants are no exception. Understanding the salary landscape can help you gauge potential earnings based on your location.
While salaries can differ by city and seniority, we provide average salary data for legal assistants by state to give you a clearer picture of what to expect.
California remains the top state for legal assistant salaries, reflecting its high demand for legal professionals.
Here’s a snapshot of the top ten states for legal assistant salaries in 2026:
Let’s dive deeper into the salary data and explore the complete rankings of all states.
Highest-Paid Legal Assistants By State
| Rank | State | Average Legal Assistant Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $52,000 | $36,000 | $75,000 |
| 2 | Colorado | $50,000 | $38,000 | $68,000 |
| 3 | New York | $49,000 | $35,000 | $70,000 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $48,000 | $34,000 | $69,000 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $47,500 | $35,000 | $66,000 |
| 6 | Washington | $47,000 | $36,000 | $64,000 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $46,500 | $35,000 | $65,000 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $46,000 | $33,000 | $68,000 |
| 9 | Nevada | $45,500 | $32,000 | $67,000 |
| 10 | Illinois | $44,000 | $34,000 | $62,000 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $43,500 | $36,000 | $58,000 |
| 12 | Delaware | $42,000 | $30,000 | $63,000 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $41,500 | $31,000 | $60,000 |
| 14 | Kansas | $41,000 | $30,000 | $59,000 |
| 15 | Maryland | $40,000 | $29,000 | $60,000 |
| 16 | Alaska | $39,500 | $31,000 | $50,000 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $39,000 | $28,000 | $58,000 |
| 18 | Utah | $38,500 | $29,000 | $55,000 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $38,000 | $28,000 | $54,000 |
| 20 | Oregon | $37,500 | $28,000 | $53,000 |
| 21 | Michigan | $37,000 | $27,000 | $52,000 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $36,500 | $27,000 | $51,000 |
| 23 | Arizona | $35,500 | $26,000 | $50,000 |
| 24 | Texas | $35,000 | $26,000 | $50,000 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $34,500 | $27,000 | $49,000 |
| 26 | Virginia | $34,000 | $25,000 | $51,000 |
| 27 | Mississippi | $33,500 | $25,000 | $48,000 |
| 28 | Idaho | $32,500 | $24,000 | $46,000 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $32,000 | $24,000 | $45,000 |
| 30 | Vermont | $31,500 | $24,000 | $44,000 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $31,000 | $23,000 | $42,000 |
| 32 | Montana | $30,500 | $23,000 | $41,000 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $30,000 | $22,000 | $43,000 |
| 34 | Georgia | $29,500 | $22,000 | $43,000 |
| 35 | Missouri | $29,000 | $21,000 | $42,000 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $28,500 | $21,000 | $41,000 |
| 37 | Maine | $28,000 | $22,000 | $39,000 |
| 38 | Alabama | $27,500 | $21,000 | $40,000 |
| 39 | Indiana | $27,000 | $21,000 | $39,000 |
| 40 | Florida | $26,500 | $20,000 | $38,000 |
| 41 | Ohio | $26,000 | $20,000 | $38,000 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $25,500 | $20,000 | $37,000 |
| 43 | Iowa | $25,000 | $19,000 | $36,000 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $24,000 | $19,000 | $34,000 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $23,500 | $19,000 | $33,000 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $23,000 | $18,000 | $32,000 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $22,500 | $18,000 | $31,000 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $22,000 | $17,000 | $30,000 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $21,500 | $17,000 | $29,000 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $20,000 | $16,000 | $27,000 |
Methodology: Legal Assistant Salary By State
To compile this data on legal assistant salaries by state, Zippia aggregates information from various sources, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and real-time salary listings from job postings. Our data science team calculates a weighted average to determine the average salary for legal assistants in each state.
This average annual salary data allows us to rank states according to their legal assistant salaries, with the highest average salary leading the list.
Legal Assistant Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for legal assistants?
The highest-paid state for legal assistants is California with an average salary of $52,000 per year.
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What city pays legal assistants the most?
Washington, DC pays legal assistants the highest, with an average salary of $60,000 per year.
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What is the worst state for legal assistants?
The lowest-paying state for legal assistants is Oklahoma with an average salary of $20,000 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
