Paralegals and Legal Assistants Salary in Portland, OR (2024)
Paralegals and Legal Assistants in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area earn a median of $74,470 per year ($35.80 per hour) based on 3,350 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +22.1% 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 Portland, OR, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $24.24 | $50,420 | |
| 25th percentile | $27.82 | $57,870 | |
| Median | $35.80 | $74,470 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $40.01 | $83,220 | |
| 90th percentile | $48.72 | $101,330 | |
| Average (mean) | $35.78 | $74,410 |
How Portland, OR compares
The local median of $74,470 runs +22.1% above the US median of $61,010 for this occupation; it pays 26.1% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($59,040); within the metro it ranks 283rd of 664 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR — this occupation | $74,470 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $61,010 | +22.1% |
| Portland, OR — all occupations | $59,040 | +26.1% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $85,230 | -12.6% |
The location quotient of 1.16 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
Moderate confidence The relative standard error is 7.0%. Treat the headline number as accurate to within roughly 7%, and read the percentiles as a range rather than a precise point.
Ranked 283rd of 664 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Portland, OR
To put $74,470 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 283rd.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, General | $184,420 | 760 |
| Pediatricians, General | $181,990 | 600 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $178,210 | — |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $174,100 | 130 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $170,410 | — |
| Medical Dosimetrists | $170,220 | 30 |
| Pharmacists | $169,520 | 2,420 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $169,510 | 650 |
| Marketing Managers | $165,000 | 4,440 |
| Lawyers | $161,420 | 5,600 |
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 Portland, OR?
The median annual wage is $74,470, or $36 per hour. That means half of the paralegals and legal assistants working in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $74,410.
What do the highest and lowest paid paralegals and legal assistants in Portland, OR earn?
The bottom 10% earn $50,420 or less, while the top 10% earn $101,330 or more — a spread of $50,910 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $57,870 and $83,220.
Is paralegals and legal assistants pay in Portland, OR above the local average?
Yes, it is 26.1% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $59,040. 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 Portland, OR pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $74,470 the metro median is 22.1% 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 Portland, OR?
BLS counts about 3,350 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 2.76 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 1.16 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 11.3%). 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.