Paralegals and Legal Assistants Salary in Chicago, IL (2024)
Paralegals and Legal Assistants in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn a median of $66,930 per year ($32.18 per hour) based on 10,250 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +9.7% against the national median of $61,010 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where paralegals and legal assistants actually sit across the pay range in Chicago, IL, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $23.05 | $47,950 | |
| 25th percentile | $23.54 | $48,960 | |
| Median | $32.18 | $66,930 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $39.66 | $82,500 | |
| 90th percentile | $50.09 | $104,190 | |
| Average (mean) | $34.60 | $71,960 |
How Chicago, IL compares
The local median of $66,930 runs +9.7% above the US median of $61,010 for this occupation; it pays 29.9% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($51,510); within the metro it ranks 302nd of 700 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL — this occupation | $66,930 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $61,010 | +9.7% |
| Chicago, IL — all occupations | $51,510 | +29.9% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $85,230 | -21.5% |
The location quotient of 0.96 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 3.2%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 302nd of 700 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Chicago, IL
To put $66,930 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 302nd.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $234,440 | 1,420 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $221,790 | 80 |
| Physicians, All Other | $215,680 | 14,850 |
| Pediatricians, General | $198,440 | 1,120 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $184,930 | 840 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $182,830 | 1,200 |
| Dentists, General | $175,140 | 3,980 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $168,230 | 21,760 |
| Lawyers | $166,090 | 28,380 |
| Financial Managers | $164,470 | 41,170 |
Where paralegals and legal assistants earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $52,990 to $85,230. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $85,230 | 7,670 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $84,950 | 6,420 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $80,550 | 11,080 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $79,240 | 3,660 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $77,550 | 3,690 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77,470 | 6,050 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $74,750 | 5,490 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $74,470 | 3,350 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $73,470 | 29,300 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $68,390 | 3,400 |
See the full national picture on the Paralegals and Legal Assistants salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for paralegals and legal assistants in Chicago, IL?
The median annual wage is $66,930, or $32 per hour. That means half of the paralegals and legal assistants working in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $71,960.
What do the highest and lowest paid paralegals and legal assistants in Chicago, IL earn?
The bottom 10% earn $47,950 or less, while the top 10% earn $104,190 or more — a spread of $56,240 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $48,960 and $82,500.
Is paralegals and legal assistants pay in Chicago, IL above the local average?
Yes, it is 29.9% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $51,510. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Chicago, IL pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $66,930 the metro median is 9.7% higher than the US median of $61,010 for paralegals and legal assistants. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $52,990 to $85,230.
How many paralegals and legal assistants work in Chicago, IL?
BLS counts about 10,250 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 2.29 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 0.96 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 10.7%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.