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Paralegal Pay In California, From The BLS
Paralegal Salary In California
Where Paralegal Pay Sits In California
Annual pay in May 2025. Half of California's paralegals and legal assistants earned between $60,170 and $98,430.
The bar runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the solid band is the middle half. BLS
Paralegal Salary In California At A Glance
- Paralegals and legal assistants in California earned a median $77,390 in May 2025, $14,500 above the national median of $62,890, fifth highest of the 51 states and districts BLS reports.
- The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area pays the highest median, $99,250, and the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area employs the most paralegals, 22,240, at a median of $77,520.
- 7 of the 25 metro areas BLS reports in California pay above the state median, and 18 below it.
- The least expensive ABA-approved certificate ranked in California, at El Camino College, costs $1,144 a year in state, 1% of a year's median paralegal pay there.
Every wage on this page is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release, for the occupation BLS calls Paralegals and Legal Assistants (SOC 23-2011), which counts the two job titles as one. The state figures are BLS's for California; the metro figures are the same release for each metropolitan area, named as the Census Bureau's 2023 delineation names it. They are what employers reported paying, so they include every paralegal, new or senior, and they are not adjusted for living costs. The national picture, with every state, is on the paralegal salary page.
Paralegal Salary By Metro Area In California
BLS reports a median for 25 metro areas in California. The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area leads at $99,250, $21,860 above the state median, and the Chico, CA metro area is lowest at $58,280. The largest, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, employs 22,240 paralegals at a median of $77,520.
| Metro area | Median pay, a year | Against the state | Paralegals employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $99,250 | +$21,860 | 2,030 |
| 2San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $84,030 | +$6,640 | 7,630 |
| 3Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $80,930 | +$3,540 | 360 |
| 4Vallejo, CA | $79,280 | +$1,890 | 160 |
| 5Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $78,550 | +$1,160 | 2,590 |
| 6Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $78,160 | +$770 | 290 |
| 7Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $77,520 | +$130 | 22,240 |
| 8Napa, CA | $77,020 | -$370 | 80 |
| 9San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $76,300 | -$1,090 | 4,440 |
| 10San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $75,200 | -$2,190 | 280 |
| 11Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $74,780 | -$2,610 | 520 |
| 12Stockton-Lodi, CA | $70,520 | -$6,870 | 290 |
| 13Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $69,600 | -$7,790 | 50 |
| 14Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $64,690 | -$12,700 | 150 |
| 15Visalia, CA | $64,380 | -$13,010 | 120 |
| 16Salinas, CA | $63,950 | -$13,440 | 230 |
| 17Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $63,420 | -$13,970 | 300 |
| 18El Centro, CA | $63,000 | -$14,390 | 60 |
| 19Fresno, CA | $62,450 | -$14,940 | 920 |
| 20Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $61,460 | -$15,930 | 2,460 |
| 21Merced, CA | $61,320 | -$16,070 | 90 |
| 22Yuba City, CA | $60,650 | -$16,740 | 40 |
| 23Redding, CA | $59,620 | -$17,770 | 120 |
| 24Modesto, CA | $58,820 | -$18,570 | 420 |
| 25Chico, CA | $58,280 | -$19,110 | 90 |
How California Compares With The Nation
At every point of the range, here is California beside the national figures. California's median is $14,500 above the national one; its highest-paid 10% start at $119,580, $18,080 above the national $101,500, and its lowest-paid 10% earn under $50,460, $5,720 above the national $44,740. The mean, which the best-paid pull up, is $81,320 in California and $69,700 nationally.
| Point in the range | California | United States | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,460 | $44,740 | +$5,720 |
| 25th percentile | $60,170 | $50,340 | +$9,830 |
| Median | $77,390 | $62,890 | +$14,500 |
| 75th percentile | $98,430 | $80,080 | +$18,350 |
| 90th percentile | $119,580 | $101,500 | +$18,080 |
What A Paralegal Certificate Costs In California
This site ranks 17 ABA-approved certificates in California. The least expensive, at El Camino College, charges $1,144 a year in in-state tuition and fees, 1% of a year's median paralegal pay in the state, and the median across the 17 certificates is $1,238. Tuition is the federal figure for a full-time year; a certificate can take more or less than a year. The ranking of the best paralegal certificate programs in California scores each one on price, graduation rate and graduates.
Common Questions About Paralegal Salary In California
How much do paralegals make in California?
Which California metro area pays paralegals the most?
How much do paralegals make an hour in California?
Do paralegals in California earn more than the national median?
Sources For California Paralegal Pay
State and national wages are BLS's OEWS figures for SOC 23-2011. Metro wages are the same May 2025 release, read through the BLS Public Data API for each metropolitan statistical area, whose names and boundaries are the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation. Program costs are IPEDS tuition and required fees for 2023-24.