SOC 23-2011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Paralegals and Legal Assistants — Oregon
Oregon · 8 metro areas compared
At $61,490, median pay for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Oregon tracks the national median of $62,890 closely.
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 Oregon.
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
At $61,490, median pay for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Oregon tracks the national median of $62,890 closely. Pay ranges from under $48,250 at the tenth percentile to more than $98,640 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $55,490 to $80,950.
Employment stands at 4,870, or 2.5 jobs per thousand held locally. Oregon ranks number 27th out of 51 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Portland records the highest median at $75,430. Of the 727 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 397th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $48,250 | −23.3% |
| 25th | $55,490 | −11.8% |
| Median (50th) | $61,490 | −2.2% |
| 75th | $80,950 | +28.7% |
| 90th | $98,640 | +56.8% |
| Mean | $69,830 | +11.0% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Oregon
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Oregon run 3.4% above the national average, so the median of $61,490 buys what $59,468 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 5.4% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$61,490as reported by BLSLocal price level
103.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$59,468US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $61,490 a year, 2.2% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $48,250 to $98,640 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 4,870 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 27th of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Portland, at $75,430.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Oregon?
The median annual wage is $61,490, or $29.56 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 Oregon is 2.2% 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 Oregon earns more than $98,640 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $48,250 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 Portland, at $75,430 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 4,870 jobs in this occupation in Oregon. 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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