SalaryExplorer

SOC 23-2011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Paralegals and Legal Assistants — Daphne

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL · 10 metro areas compared

$43,990 /year
$21.15per hour
220jobs in area
−30.1%vs US median

The median wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Daphne, AL is $43,990 per year, substantially below the national median of $62,890 — a gap of 30.1%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $62,89010TH$30,75025TH$38,720MEDIAN$43,99075TH$52,83090TH$64,010

How pay has moved

$48,423$38,92820212022202320242025$43,990
$46,840 in 2021 to $43,990 in 2025, -6.1% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+0.2%
Openings per year
39,300
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Daphne, AL is $43,990 per year, substantially below the national median of $62,890 — a gap of 30.1%. Half of workers earn between $38,720 and $52,830. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $30,750 and the ninetieth at $64,010.

Employment stands at 220, or 2.6 jobs per thousand held locally. Within the state, Birmingham records the highest median at $53,160. Of the 269 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 156th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$30,750−51.1%
25th$38,720−38.4%
Median (50th)$43,990−30.1%
75th$52,830−16.0%
90th$64,010+1.8%
Mean$46,370−26.3%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Alabama

Median annual wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Birmingham$53,1602,420
2Mobile$49,460520
3Montgomery$48,350790
4Dothan$47,260120
5Huntsville$46,580440
6Tuscaloosa$45,860190
7Florence$45,540100
8Auburn$43,280100
9Decatur$42,51060
10Anniston$39,27090

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Daphne run 5.3% below the national average, so the median of $43,990 goes as far as $46,452 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 26.1% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$43,990as reported by BLS

Local price level

94.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$46,452US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $43,990 a year, 30.1% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $30,750 to $64,010 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 220 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Birmingham, at $53,160.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Daphne, AL?

The median annual wage is $43,990, or $21.15 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $62,890, so pay in Daphne, AL is 30.1% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Daphne, AL earns more than $64,010 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $30,750 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Birmingham, at $53,160 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 220 jobs in this occupation in Daphne, AL. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Paralegals and Legal Assistants Salary in Daphne, AL (2025): $43,990 Median | Salary Explorer