Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay in Missouri
$64,380avg. a year
$30.95 an hour · 7,130 employed
Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Missouri earn an average of $64,380 a year. That is $5,320 (8%) less than the U.S. average of $69,700. The best-paying metro area is Kansas City, MO-KS at $68,680.
$61,410Median pay
$30.95Average hourly
+33%Avg. pay since 2020
#26Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying Missouri metro areas
Average pay for paralegals and legal assistants by metro area. Swipe to see all 8.
12,900 jobs
Kansas City, MO-KS
$68,680
$33.02 an hour
24,030 jobs
St. Louis, MO-IL
$64,720
$31.12 an hour
3530 jobs
Springfield, MO
$58,710
$28.23 an hour
4230 jobs
Columbia, MO
$57,590
$27.69 an hour
550 jobs
St. Joseph, MO-KS
$55,710
$26.78 an hour
6100 jobs
Joplin, MO-KS
$55,600
$26.73 an hour
7170 jobs
Jefferson City, MO
$52,290
$25.14 an hour
860 jobs
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
$51,630
$24.82 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 Missouri, charted
Pay over time
Missouri, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Missouri paralegals and legal assistants work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · Missouri highlighted · tap a state
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Under $59k$59k–$64k$64k–$71k$71k+Missouri
Missouri vs. neighbors
Average pay, May 2025
| Area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $69,700 | $33.51 |
| Missouri | $64,380 | $30.95 |
| Illinois | $72,310 | $34.76 |
| Nebraska | $63,480 | $30.52 |
| Tennessee | $60,790 | $29.23 |
| Arkansas | $60,110 | $28.90 |
| Kentucky | $59,240 | $28.48 |
Related jobs in Missouri
- Lawyers$162,820
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers$52,060
- Legal Support Workers, All Other$77,060
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers$138,730
- Judicial Law Clerks$66,400
Average pay, Missouri, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do paralegals and legal assistants make in Missouri?
The average is $64,380 a year, and the median is $61,410. That is $5,320 (8%) less than the U.S. average of $69,700.
What is the hourly wage in Missouri?
$30.95 an hour on average; the median is $29.52.
Where in Missouri do they earn the most?
Kansas City, MO-KS ($68,680), followed by St. Louis, MO-IL ($64,720). The lowest average among 8 metro areas with data is Cape Girardeau, MO-IL ($51,630).
How does Missouri rank?
Missouri ranks #26 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.