Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay in California
$81,320avg. a year
$39.09 an hour · 47,130 employed
Paralegals and Legal Assistants in California earn an average of $81,320 a year. That is $11,620 (17%) more than the U.S. average of $69,700. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $103,080.
$77,390Median pay
$39.09Average hourly
+23%Avg. pay since 2020
#3Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying California metro areas
Average pay for paralegals and legal assistants by metro area. Swipe to see all 25.
12,030 jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$103,080
$49.56 an hour
27,630 jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$92,830
$44.63 an hour
32,590 jobs
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
$81,560
$39.21 an hour
4360 jobs
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
$79,840
$38.38 an hour
522,240 jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$79,550
$38.25 an hour
64,440 jobs
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
$78,860
$37.91 an hour
7290 jobs
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
$77,820
$37.42 an hour
8160 jobs
Vallejo, CA
$77,730
$37.37 an hour
980 jobs
Napa, CA
$77,240
$37.13 an hour
10520 jobs
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
$74,270
$35.71 an hour
11230 jobs
Salinas, CA
$74,060
$35.60 an hour
12290 jobs
Stockton-Lodi, CA
$72,780
$34.99 an hour
13280 jobs
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$72,760
$34.98 an hour
14150 jobs
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
$71,410
$34.33 an hour
1560 jobs
El Centro, CA
$70,800
$34.04 an hour
1650 jobs
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
$70,730
$34.00 an hour
17300 jobs
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
$69,330
$33.33 an hour
1840 jobs
Yuba City, CA
$67,660
$32.53 an hour
19920 jobs
Fresno, CA
$67,320
$32.36 an hour
202,460 jobs
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$66,910
$32.17 an hour
21120 jobs
Visalia, CA
$65,220
$31.36 an hour
22120 jobs
Redding, CA
$64,470
$30.99 an hour
23420 jobs
Modesto, CA
$64,150
$30.84 an hour
2490 jobs
Merced, CA
$62,440
$30.02 an hour
2590 jobs
Chico, CA
$61,530
$29.58 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay in California, charted
Pay over time
California, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where California paralegals and legal assistants work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · California highlighted · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $59k$59k–$64k$64k–$71k$71k+California
California vs. neighbors
Average pay, May 2025
| Area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $69,700 | $33.51 |
| California | $81,320 | $39.09 |
| Oregon | $69,830 | $33.57 |
| Arizona | $67,850 | $32.62 |
| Nevada | $66,350 | $31.90 |
Related jobs in California
- Lawyers$230,040
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers$76,950
- Legal Support Workers, All Other$92,750
- Judicial Law Clerks$76,070
- Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators$118,080
Average pay, California, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do paralegals and legal assistants make in California?
The average is $81,320 a year, and the median is $77,390. That is $11,620 (17%) more than the U.S. average of $69,700.
What is the hourly wage in California?
$39.09 an hour on average; the median is $37.21.
Where in California do they earn the most?
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($103,080), followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($92,830). The lowest average among 25 metro areas with data is Chico, CA ($61,530).
How does California rank?
California ranks #3 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 23-2011. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national paralegals and legal assistants page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.