Paralegal and Legal Assistant Salary in California
Median annual pay in California
$77,390
$37.21/hour
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Adjusted for cost of living in California
$69,897
Regional Price Parity: 110.720 (U.S. = 100)
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Difference from the U.S. median ($62,890): +$14,500 (+23.1%)
California ranks 5th of 51 states by median pay, and 7th of 51 after adjusting for cost of living.
Pay
| Annual | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,460 | $24.26 |
| 25th percentile | $60,170 | $28.93 |
| Median | $77,390 | $37.21 |
| 75th percentile | $98,430 | $47.32 |
| 90th percentile | $119,580 | $57.49 |
Employment
- Employment in California
- 47,130
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Comparison
Compared with the U.S.
- Median annual pay in California
- $77,390
- Median annual pay in the U.S.
- $62,890
- Difference
- +$14,500 (+23.1%)
Cost of living
$77,390 ÷ 110.720 × 100 = $69,897
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Ranking
| Rank | Median annual pay | Adjusted for cost of living (annual) |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | ||
| 3rd | $78,190 | $75,874 3rd |
| Massachusetts | ||
| 4th | $77,640 | $73,414 5th |
| California This page | ||
| 5th | $77,390 | $69,897 7th |
| Minnesota | ||
| 6th | $75,570 | $76,627 2nd |
| New Jersey | ||
| 7th | $71,500 | $65,714 16th |
Similar occupations
Related occupations from O*NET, in O*NET's order, with their BLS median pay. Each figure shows the place it is for.
- Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant salary in the U.S.
$55,570/year U.S.
- Title Examiner, Abstractor, and Searcher salary in the U.S.
$58,650/year U.S.
- Court Reporter and Simultaneous Captioner salary in California
$116,020/year California
- Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive salary in California
$55,400/year California
- Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant salary in the U.S.
$76,590/year U.S.
- Medical Records Specialist salary in the U.S.
$51,140/year U.S.
Outlook
- Projected employment change, 2025–35 (U.S.)
- −0.3%
- Typical education needed for entry (U.S.)
- Associate's degree
BLS publishes employment projections only for the U.S. as a whole. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
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Paralegal and Legal Assistant salary in nearby places
- Paralegal and Legal Assistant salary in Arizona
$61,630/year Arizona
- Paralegal and Legal Assistant salary in Nevada
$64,680/year Nevada
- Paralegal and Legal Assistant salary in Oregon
$61,490/year Oregon
- Paralegal and Legal Assistant salary in the U.S.
$62,890/year U.S.
Sources and update
- Wages and employment: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
- Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- Related occupations: O*NET® 31.0 Database, CC BY 4.0. Attributions
- Employment projections and typical education: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35.
- Neighboring states: U.S. Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2024.
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