Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay in Tennessee

$60,790avg. a year
$29.23 an hour · 6,080 employed

Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Tennessee earn an average of $60,790 a year. That is $8,910 (13%) less than the U.S. average of $69,700. The best-paying metro area is Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN at $65,140.

$58,820Median pay
$29.23Average hourly
+24%Avg. pay since 2020
#36Of 50 states + D.C.

Top-paying Tennessee metro areas

Average pay for paralegals and legal assistants by metro area. Swipe to see all 10.

12,660 jobs
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
$65,140
$31.32 an hour
21,120 jobs
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
$60,700
$29.18 an hour
3530 jobs
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$58,580
$28.16 an hour
4240 jobs
Clarksville, TN-KY
$57,480
$27.64 an hour
5200 jobs
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
$56,540
$27.18 an hour
6770 jobs
Knoxville, TN
$55,750
$26.80 an hour
7110 jobs
Jackson, TN
$55,620
$26.74 an hour
840 jobs
Cleveland, TN
$52,580
$25.28 an hour
9120 jobs
Johnson City, TN
$50,050
$24.06 an hour
1030 jobs
Morristown, TN
$49,390
$23.74 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.
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Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay in Tennessee, charted

Pay over time

Tennessee, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian

Where Tennessee paralegals and legal assistants work

Employment by metro area, May 2025

Average pay by state

May 2025 · Tennessee highlighted · tap a state
Under $59k$59k–$64k$64k–$71k$71k+Tennessee

Tennessee vs. neighbors

Average pay, May 2025
AreaAvg. payHourly
United States$69,700$33.51
Tennessee$60,790$29.23
Georgia$71,210$34.24
Virginia$70,740$34.01
Missouri$64,380$30.95
North Carolina$60,770$29.22
Arkansas$60,110$28.90

Related jobs in Tennessee

  • Lawyers$163,870
  • Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers$53,760
  • Legal Support Workers, All Other$67,060
  • Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates$173,150
  • Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers$106,490
  • Judicial Law Clerks$77,120
All jobs in Tennessee

Average pay, Tennessee, May 2025

Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS

Questions and answers

How much do paralegals and legal assistants make in Tennessee?

The average is $60,790 a year, and the median is $58,820. That is $8,910 (13%) less than the U.S. average of $69,700.

What is the hourly wage in Tennessee?

$29.23 an hour on average; the median is $28.28.

Where in Tennessee do they earn the most?

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN ($65,140), followed by Memphis, TN-MS-AR ($60,700). The lowest average among 10 metro areas with data is Morristown, TN ($49,390).

How does Tennessee rank?

Tennessee ranks #36 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.