SOC 23-2011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Paralegals and Legal Assistants — Helena
Helena, MT · 4 metro areas compared
The median wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Helena, MT is $64,210 per year, close to the national median of $62,890 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
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 Helena, MT.
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 Helena, MT is $64,210 per year, close to the national median of $62,890 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $46,020 at the tenth percentile to more than $79,880 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $51,270 to $68,040.
The area has 170 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 3.8 of every thousand jobs. Bozeman leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $59,120. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 94th of 241 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $46,020 | −26.8% |
| 25th | $51,270 | −18.5% |
| Median (50th) | $64,210 | +2.1% |
| 75th | $68,040 | +8.2% |
| 90th | $79,880 | +27.0% |
| Mean | $61,910 | −1.6% |
Other metro areas in Montana
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bozeman | $59,120 | 90 | |
| 2 | Billings | $58,670 | 170 | |
| 3 | Great Falls | $57,090 | 70 | |
| 4 | Missoula | $50,670 | 270 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Helena run 4.3% below the national average, so the median of $64,210 goes as far as $67,095 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 6.7% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$64,210as reported by BLSLocal price level
95.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$67,095US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $64,210 a year, 2.1% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $46,020 to $79,880 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 170 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Bozeman, at $59,120.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Helena, MT?
The median annual wage is $64,210, or $30.87 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 Helena, MT is 2.1% higher. 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 Helena, MT earns more than $79,880 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $46,020 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 Bozeman, at $59,120 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 170 jobs in this occupation in Helena, MT. 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.
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