Paralegal and Legal Assistant Salary in the District of Columbia
Median annual pay in the District of Columbia
$89,750
$43.15/hour
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Adjusted for cost of living in the District of Columbia
$81,664
Regional Price Parity: 109.901 (U.S. = 100)
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Difference from the U.S. median ($62,890): +$26,860 (+42.7%)
The District of Columbia ranks 1st of 51 states by median pay, and 1st of 51 after adjusting for cost of living.
Pay
| Annual | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $59,770 | $28.74 |
| 25th percentile | $72,240 | $34.73 |
| Median | $89,750 | $43.15 |
| 75th percentile | $114,920 | $55.25 |
| 90th percentile | $131,650 | $63.29 |
Employment
- Employment in the District of Columbia
- 6,400
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Comparison
Compared with the U.S.
- Median annual pay in the District of Columbia
- $89,750
- Median annual pay in the U.S.
- $62,890
- Difference
- +$26,860 (+42.7%)
Cost of living
$89,750 ÷ 109.901 × 100 = $81,664
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Ranking
| Rank | Median annual pay | Adjusted for cost of living (annual) |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia This page | ||
| 1st | $89,750 | $81,664 1st |
| Washington | ||
| 2nd | $79,400 | $74,197 4th |
| Colorado | ||
| 3rd | $78,190 | $75,874 3rd |
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 the U.S.
$72,420/year U.S.
- Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive salary in the District of Columbia
$59,910/year District of Columbia
- 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 Maryland
$65,640/year Maryland
- Paralegal and Legal Assistant salary in Virginia
$63,990/year Virginia
- 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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