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Best states for a paralegal

Quoted expert
Emily Allen-Hornblower
  • Rank 1 - 10
  • 11 - 20
  • 21 - 30
  • 31 - 40
  • 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for paralegals? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for paralegal jobs.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for paralegal jobs.
District of Columbia is the best state for jobs for paralegals, and South Carolina is the worst. The most common pay in District of Columbia is $64,103, while the median pay in South Carolina is $36,908.We found that District of Columbia is the best state for paralegal jobs, whereas South Carolina is the worst.

10 best states for paralegals in 2025

  1. District of Columbia #1 best state for paralegals

    1. District of Columbia

    Total paralegal jobs:162
    Average annual salary:$64,103
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$42,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$95,000
    Location Quotient:
    8.35
  2. Washington #2 best state for paralegals

    2. Washington

    Total paralegal jobs:108
    Average annual salary:$57,461
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$39,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$83,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.28
  3. California #3 best state for paralegals

    3. California

    Total paralegal jobs:479
    Average annual salary:$61,386
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$40,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$93,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.42
  4. Illinois #4 best state for paralegals

    4. Illinois

    Total paralegal jobs:135
    Average annual salary:$53,862
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$37,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$78,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.98
  5. Colorado #5 best state for paralegals

    5. Colorado

    Total paralegal jobs:101
    Average annual salary:$54,964
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$39,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$76,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.47
  6. West Virginia #6 best state for paralegals

    6. West Virginia

    Total paralegal jobs:30
    Average annual salary:$49,813
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$33,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$73,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.7
  7. Oregon #7 best state for paralegals

    7. Oregon

    Total paralegal jobs:33
    Average annual salary:$55,839
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$37,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$82,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.69
  8. Alaska #8 best state for paralegals

    8. Alaska

    Total paralegal jobs:15
    Average annual salary:$54,036
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$45,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$63,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.55
  9. Nevada #9 best state for paralegals

    9. Nevada

    Total paralegal jobs:11
    Average annual salary:$55,923
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$37,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$84,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.46
  10. Minnesota #10 best state for paralegals

    10. Minnesota

    Total paralegal jobs:73
    Average annual salary:$51,135
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$35,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$72,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.95

Paralegal jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a paralegal

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a paralegal

RankStateAverage salaryLowest 10% earnPopulationJob count
1District of Columbia$64,103$42,000693,972162
2Washington$57,461$39,0007,405,743108
3California$61,386$40,00039,536,653479
4Illinois$53,862$37,00012,802,023135
5Colorado$54,964$39,0005,607,154101
6West Virginia$49,813$33,0001,815,85730
7Oregon$55,839$37,0004,142,77633
8Alaska$54,036$45,000739,79515
9Nevada$55,923$37,0002,998,03911
10Minnesota$51,135$35,0005,576,60673
11Pennsylvania$51,162$34,00012,805,53794
12New York$52,432$35,00019,849,399202
13Delaware$52,439$35,000961,93911
14New Jersey$52,471$35,0009,005,64487
15Massachusetts$50,918$35,0006,859,819115
16Connecticut$54,802$37,0003,588,18420
17Michigan$47,528$32,0009,962,31177
18Arizona$48,438$33,0007,016,27062
19New Hampshire$52,205$36,0001,342,7957
20Maryland$52,739$35,0006,052,17757
21Utah$50,337$34,0003,101,83320
22Virginia$49,391$33,0008,470,02095
23Texas$46,496$32,00028,304,596202
24Hawaii$54,333$43,0001,427,5388
25Missouri$47,031$33,0006,113,53255
26Mississippi$46,258$32,0002,984,10018
27Rhode Island$47,821$32,0001,059,6399
28Florida$45,838$30,00020,984,400367
29Nebraska$46,493$33,0001,920,07616
30Idaho$47,845$32,0001,716,9439
31Georgia$44,986$31,00010,429,379144
32Wisconsin$45,556$31,0005,795,48340
33North Dakota$42,732$30,000755,39318
34South Dakota$45,928$32,000869,6665
35Kentucky$44,863$31,0004,454,18923
36Tennessee$42,409$29,0006,715,98453
37North Carolina$44,319$30,00010,273,41966
38Iowa$42,932$30,0003,145,71124
39Ohio$43,015$29,00011,658,60958
40Montana$41,475$29,0001,050,49312
41New Mexico$44,369$31,0002,088,0709
42Wyoming$39,777$28,000579,3157
43Vermont$41,715$29,000623,6577
44Alabama$42,855$29,0004,874,74720
45Arkansas$39,000$27,0003,004,27926
46Kansas$42,336$30,0002,913,12310
47Louisiana$41,235$28,0004,684,33320
48Indiana$40,354$27,0006,666,81835
49Maine$38,715$27,0001,335,90710
50Oklahoma$40,976$29,0003,930,8647
51South Carolina$36,908$25,0005,024,36930

Highest paying states for paralegals

RankStateAvg. Paralegal Salary
1District of Columbia$64,103
2Washington$57,461
3California$61,386
4Illinois$53,862
5Colorado$54,964
6West Virginia$49,813
7Oregon$55,839
8Alaska$54,036
9Nevada$55,923
10Minnesota$51,135
11Pennsylvania$51,162
12New York$52,432
13Delaware$52,439
14New Jersey$52,471
15Massachusetts$50,918
16Connecticut$54,802
17Michigan$47,528
18Arizona$48,438
19New Hampshire$52,205
20Maryland$52,739
21Utah$50,337
22Virginia$49,391
23Texas$46,496
24Hawaii$54,333
25Missouri$47,031
26Mississippi$46,258
27Rhode Island$47,821
28Florida$45,838
29Nebraska$46,493
30Idaho$47,845
31Georgia$44,986
32Wisconsin$45,556
33North Dakota$42,732
34South Dakota$45,928
35Kentucky$44,863
36Tennessee$42,409
37North Carolina$44,319
38Iowa$42,932
39Ohio$43,015
40Montana$41,475
41New Mexico$44,369
42Wyoming$39,777
43Vermont$41,715
44Alabama$42,855
45Arkansas$39,000
46Kansas$42,336
47Louisiana$41,235
48Indiana$40,354
49Maine$38,715
50Oklahoma$40,976
51South Carolina$36,908

Expert opinions on the best states for paralegals

  • Are there any particularly good places in the United States for paralegals to find work opportunities?

    Emily Allen-HornblowerEmily Allen-Hornblower LinkedIn profile

    Associate Professor of Classics, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

    I would say, think broadly. Your CV gives you an edge - you chose a course of study that is somewhat atypical, original (and a great conversation starter!) that gave you widely applicable skills.

    I mean, who studies Classics? Who willingly subjects themselves to the rigors of Latin or Greek - or both? Who commits to navigating the intricacies of an interdisciplinary path that combines some of the most vital areas of inquiry for our time: social and cultural history, political science, philosophy, psychology, literary studies, material culture?

    A go-getter. Someone who is passionate. And is Driven.

    And you know what? Employers know that. They see that on your CV, and they think, wow - here is someone interesting and hard-working and who thinks out of the box. And they are right. Xerox saw that. Macy's saw that. The Air Force Intelligence Officer who hired one of our (female!) undergraduates as an officer saw that. The software engineer who hired another one of our grads to join his team as a full-time software engineer saw that. Oxford University Press in New York City saw that - and hired another recent grad as a full-time intern in their Higher Education Editorial Development department. SO: Classics majors, think big and broad. There is no restricted path for what is next.

    So - Graduating seniors in Classics (and other Liberal Arts degrees), as you prepare to go forward into the world, you have good reason to go forth with pride, and enter the world after college, with all its question marks and inevitable bumps in the road, with confidence.
    A Classics major is excellent preparation for the pursuit of a wide range of careers in a large number of fields, including, but not limited to, government, law, education, business, journalism, library science, publishing, foreign service, finance, the entertainment industry, museum, and preservation work, pharmaceutical sciences, music, and the arts, foundations, technology, web design, and labor relations. So think broadly. You've got this.

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